THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 


THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

A  ROMANCE    OF   BONAPARTE 

AND  NELSON 


BY 


CYRUS   TOWNSEND   BRADY 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  SOUTHERNERS,"  "A  LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THB 

SOUTH,"  "THE  CORNER  IN  COFFEE,"  "FOR  THE  FREEDOM  OF 

THE  SEA,"  "A  DOCTOR  OF  PHILOSOPHY,"  ETC.,  KTC. 


THE    MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  LTD. 
1905 

All  rights  reserved 


COPYRIGHT,  1904, 
BY  CYRUS  TOWNSEND  BRADY. 

COPYRIGHT,  1905, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  January,  1905. 


NortoooB 

J.  8.  Cashing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


URL 

•'    '    "  xv  :"•••*•>  •".:* 
vJ.^'i.,4. 


PREFACE 

I 

A  CONFESSION 

Yes,  gentle  reader,  if  you  have  given  the  matter 
a  thought,  —  being  a  reader  I  assume  that  you  are 
thoughtful,  —  you  have  divined  that  this  is  an  HIS- 
TORICAL NOVEL.1  If  you  belong  to  that  unfor- 
tunate class  which  takes  no  delight  in  that  ancient  and 
honorable,  and  to  me  fascinating,  —  to  say  nothing  of 
its  usefulness  —  form  of  romance,  lay  the  book  aside, 
commend  yourself  for  the  lofty  conception  you  cherish 
as  to  what  real  high-class  fiction  should  be,  and  which 
you  will  not  permit  to  be  contaminated  or  vitiated  by 
contact  with  a  mere  story  or  romance  like  this,  and  go 
on  your  red-bloodless  way  rejoicing,  ignorant  of  what 
you  miss,  and  therefore  —  by  all  the  canons  of  ancient 
aphorism  —  happy. 

II 

AN  ADMISSION 

To  those  who  deign  to  persevere  after  this  fair  warn- 
ing, I  will  admit  that  there  is  just  as  much  history  in 
this  romance  as  I  could  get  in  it,  and  that  the  history 
in  it  is  just  as  accurate  and  faithful  as  much  study  and 

1 1  caused  this  to  be  printed  large  to  catch  your  eye.  Let  there  be 
no  deceit  between  us.  I  want  you  to  see  this  before  you  buy,  so  that 
you  may  know  just  what  you  are  purchasing. 

vii 


Vlil  PREFACE 

reflection  on  my  part  could  make  it.  Nor  will  it  lack 
interest  on  that  account,  I  am  confident.  The  two 
captains,  about  whom  the  story  revolves,  were  beyond 
peradventure  the  two  supremely  greatest  men  in  their 
chosen  fields  of  action  that  the  world  has  ever  seen. 
Although  the  casual  have  not  realized  it,  they  were  in 
active  opposition  until  the  death  of  one  of  them;  and 
in  two  instances  the  brilliant  ability  of  the  one  abso- 
lutely brought  to  naught  the  majestic  plans  of  the 
other. 

The  story  culminates  in  one  of  the  great  crucial 
moments  of  modern  history.  Had  the  result  of  the 
battle  described — -and  how  I  have  loved  and  do  love 
to  dwell  upon  it  —  been  other  than  it  was,  who  shall 
say  how  would  have  been  altered  the  course  of  his- 
tory? To  speculate  on  the  probable  consequences  to 
mankind  of  the  successful  working  out  of  the  plan  of 
the  one  captain,  which  the  other  frustrated,  is  to  grow 
giddy  in  contemplating  the  magnitude  of  the  possi- 
bilities. 

Like  "  Vanity  Fair,"  —  alas,  the  only  point  of  like- 
ness between  them,  I  mournfully  admit,  —  this  is  a 
novel  without  a  hero.  Not  that  Captain  Macartney, 
whom  I  think  a  most  engaging  and  attractive  young 
sailor,  lacks  elements  of  the  heroic  in  his  character 
and  in  his  action;  yet  how  could  there  be  any  other 
hero  when  both  Bonaparte  and  Nelson  are  on  the 
stage?  Also  the  reader  who  likes  these  things,  and 
few,  thank  God,  are  the  crabbed  who  do  not,  will  find 
hereafter  a  pretty  love  story  enough. 


PREFACE  IX 

As  for  the  rest,  my  admiration  is  divided  between 
the  silent  Breboeuf  and  the  gallant  old  marquis  — 
a  fine  figure  he  makes  fighting  at  last  for  France. 
Eliminating  the  two  great  captains,  perhaps  the  rugged 
Breton  sailor  is  after  all  the  true  hero  of  this  veracious 
tale.  By  actual  count  he  speaks  less  than  a  score  of 
words  in  the  whole  book,  —  I  forestall  the  witty  one 
who  says,  "For  this  relief,  much  thanks,"  —  but  these 
words  are  always  to  the  point.  You  will  like  Breboeuf 
I  am  sure.  But  the  reader  can  choose  his  own  hero ; 
there  is  abundant  material  to  follow  from  which  to 
select.  There  is  only  one  heroine,  however.  To  intro- 
duce two  of  the  latter  in  a  novel  would  be  to  commit 
intellectual  polygamy  —  which  God  forbid. 

Ill 

A  PROTEST 

Now  the  mere  putting  forth  of  a  book  of  whatsoever 
sort  is  in  a  certain  sense  a  challenge.  Criticism  is  in- 
vited by  publication.  Books  generally  are  not  pub- 
lished from  altruistic  motives  alone  by  that  hardly 
used  and  wretchedly  abused  class  of  men  who  are 
popularly  believed  to  exist  solely  for  the  support  of 
authors.  Books  are  for  sale,  and  of  every  honorable 
and  legitimate  thing  that  makes  for  the  sale  the  pub- 
lisher is  fain  to  avail  himself.  There  is  some  doubt 
as  to  the  value  of  reviews.  Time  was  when  books 
were  killed  or  made  by  reviews.  Those  were  the  days 
when  people  largely  thought  by  proxy.  Now  we  have 


X  PREFACE 

so  many  books  —  sweet  are  the  uses  of  the  "literary 
deluge "  —  that  they  have  at  least  taught  people  to 
think  for  themselves,  and  the  importance  of  the  review 
is  now  an  open  question.  Personally,  of  all  my  books, 
the  one  that  received  the  longest  and  most  favorable 
reviews  from  the  best  papers,  and  which  was  oftenest 
quoted,  not  to  say  "  cribbed,"  is  the  book  that  has  sold 
the  fewest  number  of  copies.  However,  since  the  pub- 
lishers send  out  between  two  and  three  hundred  copies 
gratuitously  to  book  reviewers,  it  is  evident  to  which 
side  of  the  question  their  own  opinion  inclines. 

Critics,  the  noble  name  by  which  we  describe  over- 
worked—  or  should  I  not  say  overwhelmed?  —  modern 
book  reviewers,  are  among  the  few  people  who  read 
prefaces.  I  do  book  reviewing  myself  frequently, 
therefore  I  speak  by  the  card.  It  may  save  the  critic 
the  necessity  of  reading  the  book.  Therefore  I  con- 
fidently expect  that  what  is  here  set  down  will  fall 
under  the  critic's  eye.  (Observe  I  do  not  say  the 
critical  eye.)  I  write  this  for  him.  Let  him  praise 
the  book.  Let  him  damn  it  if  he  will.  Let  him  ignore 
it  if  silence  be  to  his  fancy.  But  whether  it  be  praise 
or  blame,  let  him  accord  it  on  the  merits  or  demerits  of 
the  book  and  on  nothing  else. 

It  uses  much  valuable  space,  it  wearies  the  reader, 
as  it  certainly  wearies  the  author,  and  it  is  quite  un- 
necessary, to  have  the  critic  discourse  in  trenchant 
phrases  on  the  number  of  books  I  write,  or  my  pro- 
lificacy, or  literary  fecundity,  or  anything  of  that  sort. 
They  may  be  suitable  subjects  for  consideration  or  dis- 


PREFACE  H 

cussion  elsewhere,  —  though  I  myself  think  not  —  but 
they  are  entirely  foreign  to  the  purpose  of  a  book 
review.  This  novel  may  seem  hastily  or  carelessly 
written,  —  it  isn't.  It  may  appear  ill-digested,  un- 
studied, —  it  wasn't.  Whether  the  work  accords  with 
these  denials  or  not,  I  cannot  tell.  I  can  only  speak 
of  purpose  and  of  method.  I  took  all  the  time  I 
wanted  for  composition  and  revision.  Nobody  hur- 
ried me.  Whether  this  is  a  solitary  book  or  one  of  a 
dozen  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  question  before  the 
critic,  which  is,  is  it  good  or  is  it  bad? 

This  novel  represents  the  best  I  could  do  at  the 
time  I  did  it;  I  never  wrote  a  thing  that  I  did  not 
wish  to  write,  —  I  could  not.  It  would  be  worthless 
if  I  should.  Generally  the  thing  that  I  am  writing  is 
not  only  the  thing  that  I  wish  to  write,  but  usually  it 
presents  itself  to  me  as  the  thing  above  all  others  that 
I  most  enthusiastically  desire  to  write  at  that  particu- 
lar time.  I  will  confess  that  I  rarely  complete  a  thing 
without  a  secret  consciousness  —  alas,  too  often  dis- 
pelled, and  that  without  the  aid  of  critics  —  that  it  is 
the  best  thing  that  I  have  ever  done.  I  have  made 
this  remark  to  different  publishers,  and  have  been 
informed  by  them  that  every  other  author  thinks  his 
latest  his  best. 

So,  if  you  please,  forget  my  personality  and  what 
I  have  or  have  not  done  —  sins  of  commission  and 
omission,  —  and  let  the  book  stand  or  fall  by  its  own 
inherent  qualities  —  good,  bad,  or  indifferent,  as  the 
case  may  be,  —  never  minding  me  at  all.  We  have  too 


Xll  PREFACE 

much  personal  gossip  about  authors  anyway,  and  I,  for 
one,  am  sick  of  it. 

This  preface  has  run  to  an  unpardonable  length, 
perhaps.  Even  the  overworked  critic  seeking  to  save 
himself  the  reading  of  the  romance  is  probably  sur- 
feited by  now.  For  myself,  I  could  write  a  volume. 
Indeed,  if  there  were  no  other  excuse  for  writing 
novels  than  that  they  should  enable  the  author  to 
perpetrate  prefaces,  I  should  be  happy  to  write  the 
novels.  I  have  the  unlimited  preface  habit  undoubt- 
edly. Imagine,  therefore,  gentle  reader,  —  or  possibly 
by  this  time  you  are  ungentle,  —  what  constraint  I  put 
upon  myself  by  refusing  to  allow  myself  to  keep  you 
any  longer  from  the  pages  that  follow,  if  now  you 
have  the  hardihood  to  essay  them. 


CYRUS  TOWNSEND  BRADY. 


BROOKLYN,  N.Y., 
December  31, 1904. 


CONTENTS 

BOOK  I 
ON  THE  ROCKS  OF  PROVENCE 

CHAPTER  PAOB 

I.    THE  MARQUIS  AND  THE  PEASANT    ....  3 
II.    THE  SILENT  BR£B(EUF       .        .        .        .        .        .14 

III.  THE  COMTESSE  TAKES  COMMAND      ....  25 

IV.  THE  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  SHIP 34 

V.    ENTER  THE  AGAMEMNON 43 

VI.    THE  VICE-ADMIRAL  GOES  ABOARD  ....  52 

BOOK  II 

TOULON 

VII.    THE  FAMILY  OF  DE  VAUDEMONT     ....  67 

Vm.    THE  LAST  HOPE  OF  THE  ROYALISTS        ...  75 

IX.    AMID  FLAME  AND  SMOKE 87 

X.    CONFRONTING  THE  MOB 100 

XL    THE  DASH  OF  THE  INCONSTANT      ....  114 

XII.    THE  MARQUIS  SAYS  « No  !  " 128 

XIII.  OF  MORE  VALUE  THAN  A  SHIP-OF-THE-LINE    .        .  136 

XIV.  THE  COMTESSE  SAYS  "  Au  REVOIR  "...  147 


XIV  CONTENTS 

BOOK  III 
THE  MEDITERRANEAN 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XV.    THE  FRANCE  OF  IDEAS  AND  ITS  MASTER  .        .  161 

XVI.    "FOR  You  AND  FRANCE" 168 

XVII.    THE  REPUBLICANISM  OF  BREBCEUF    .        .        .  181 

XVIII.    GARRON  HAS  HIS  PRICE 192 

XIX.    THE  SHIPS  OF  NELSON 200 

XX.    FRIENDS  ON  LE  TONNANT 210 

XXL    PLAYING  AT  HIDE  AND  SEEK     ....  221 

BOOK  IV 
EGYPT 

XXII.    GARRON'S  PROPOSITION 229 

XXIII.  THE  REJECTION  OF  THE  COMTESSE    .        .        .  242 

XXIV.  BREBCEUF  SPEAKS  TO  THE  PURPOSE    .        .        .  253 
XXV.    THE  MARQUIS  GIVES  ADVICE      ....  260 

XXVI.    WHERE  CLEOPATRA  SAILED        .       .       ,  271 

BOOK  V 
BONAPARTE 

XXVII.    As  ONE  GENTLEMAN  TO  ANOTHER     .        .        .  287 

XXVIII.    CAPTAIN  HONORE'S  CONFESSION  ....  299 

XXIX.    THE  COMTE  CHANGES  HIS  ALLEGIANCE     .        .  305 

XXX.    RIDING  FOR  BREBCEUF 314 

XXXI.      "ALAS   FOR   THE   KlNO!"                                                      ,  324 


CONTENTS  XV 

BOOK  VI 

NELSON 

CHAPTER  PAG« 

XXXII.    THE  SIGNAL  TORCH 337 

XXXIII.  THE  VANGUARD  GETS  THE  NEWS      .       .        .  348 

XXXIV.  THE  BAND  OF  BROTHERS 355 

XXXV.    THE  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  LEVIATHANS  .        .        .  368 

XXXVI.    "  YOUR  MAJESTY,  I  FOUGHT  FOR  FRANCE  1 "    .  389 

L'ENVOI                                                                                ,  411 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  MAKQUJS   AND   THE  PEASANT 

THE  marquis  stepped  daintily  through  the  narrow 
wicket  cut  in  the  great  door  facing  the  sea,  circled  the 
tower  to  its  landward  side,  walked  a  few  yards  from 
its  wall,  traced  a  short  line  in  the  ground  with  his  cane, 
withdrew  a  short  distance,  and  waited. 

From  where  he  stood  he  could  overlook  the  dis- 
orderly camp  of  the  besiegers,  just  out  of  gunshot  at 
the  head  of  the  valley.  Back  of  the  camp  the  land- 
scape rose  in  rugged  hills  which  lost  themselves  on 
the  far  horizon  in  distant  mountains.  Gleams  of  light 
reflected  from  their  lofty  crests  gave  evidence  that 
they  were  snow-capped.  A  little  rivulet  came  brawl- 
ing down  the  valley,  passed  the  camp,  plunged  through 
a  rocky  crevasse,  splashing  noisily  as  it  fell  some 
twenty  feet  below  the  marquis  where  he  stood  with  his 
back  to  the  tower,  and  spread  shallow  on  the  shining 
sands  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs  until  it  merged  itself 
softly  into  the  rippling  seas. 

It  was  a  magnificent  prospect  extended  before  the 
eyes  of  the  marquis,  but  as  he  had  seen  it  off  and  on 
at  intervals  many  times  during  his  sixty  odd  years  of 
life,  it  did  not  attract  his  attention,  which  was  concen- 
trated upon  the  camp  and  upon  a  man  approaching 

3 


4  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

him.  The  marquis  invariably  preferred  men  to  scenery 
—  and,  for  all  his  age,  women  to  either !  The  man 
clambering  up  the  rocky  eminence  toward  the  marquis 
carried  a  bit  of  white  cloth  in  his  hand,  which  he 
waved  with  much  ostentation  as  he  drew  near. 

There  was  a  great  contrast  between  the  man  and  the 
marquis.  The  latter  was  dressed  in  the  very  height 
of  a  fashion  that  had  passed,  the  former  in  the  antici- 
pation of  one  that  was  coming.  Nothing  had  been  so 
thoroughly  revolutionized  by  the  revolution  in  France 
as  the  fashion.  Frequently  it  requires  no  less  than  a 
revolution  to  alter  a  fashion,  or  the  habit  of  one. 
"  Other  times,  other  clothes,"  was  a  Republican  maxim. 
The  marquis  and  the  man  were  cases  in  point. 

The  cocked  hat  of  the  noble  was  perched  jauntily 
upon  his  bewigged  head.  His  uniform  coat  was  of 
blue  satin  faced  with  scarlet  and  laced  with  gold. 
Orders  and  decorations  blazed  on  his  breast.  His 
small-clothes  and  stockings  were  white.  Diamond 
buckles  set  off  his  red-heeled  shoes.  Costly  lace  spread 
from  the  lapels  of  his  waistcoat,  or  drooped  over  his 
white,  aristocratic  hands,  one  of  which  clasped  lightly 
the  jewelled  hilt  of  a  slender  sword  hanging  at  his  side. 
In  the  other  hand  the  marquis  carried  the  light  cane 
with  which  he  had  made  the  line  in  the  ground. 
•  Standing  there  in  the  sunlight  of  that  autumn  morn- 
ing, against  the  dark  background  of  the  gloomy  half- 
ruined  tower,  the  marquis  glittered  like  a  sun.  Once, 
so  far  as  the  eye  could  see,  the  marquis  had  been  lord 
paramount  of  the  domain.  Now  his  holdings  were 


THE  MARQUIS   AND   THE  PEASANT  5 

reduced  to  that  fallen  tower;  his  riches  to  the  jewels 
which  flashed  on  his  person ;  his  family  to  a  boy  and 
girl,  his  grandchildren ;  his  vassals  to  a  man  and 
a  woman. 

The  man  approaching  was  a  tall,  burly,  rough-look- 
ing person,  with  a  sinister  cast  of  countenance,  which 
was  not  without  some  evidence  of  courage  and  force, 
although  utterly  devoid  of  any  kind  of  breeding  or  of 
kindness.  There  was  an  unwonted  sense  of  power  and 
command  about  him  which  gave  him  a  decided  air  of 
arrogance.  Yet  there  was  a  certain  uneasiness  about 
him,  too ;  assurance  without  an  assured  foundation  in 
fact.  He  met  the  marquis'  eye  boldly,  but  only  by 
constraint. 

He  was  clad  in  a  coarse,  ill-fitting,  long-skirted, 
uniform  coat  of  blue  and  red,  with  white  trousers  and 
black  gaiters.  From  a  belt  over  his  shoulders  de- 
pended a  formidable  ship's  cutlass.  Another  belt 
around  his  waist  carried  a  brace  of  huge  pistols.  On 
his  head,  in  place  of  a  hat,  he  wore  a  kind  of  knitted 
cap,  —  a  liberty  cap  it  was  called. 

Peasant  was  writ  large  all  over  him,  —  but  peasant 
free !  Unfortunately,  his  liberty  had  blossomed,  as 
liberty  often  did,  into  excess. 

The  marquis  was  a  small  man,  and  the  newcomer 
overtowered  him  by  a  head  and  shoulders.  As  he 
drew  near,  his  pace  slackened  perceptibly,  and  he  lost 
an  increasing  amount  of  the  confidence,  not  to  say 
swagger,  with  which  he  had  started  from  the  camp. 
He  hesitated,  uncertain  as  to  how  far  to  adventure, 


6  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

and  finally  stopped.  The  marquis,  who  had  been  sur- 
veying him  with  a  mixture  of  amusement  and  con- 
tempt, broke  the  silence. 

"  You  can  come  nearer,  Jean  Garron,"  he  said  loftily. 
"  There  !  Plant  your  feet  on  that  line." 

In  spite  of  himself  the  man  moved  forward  to  the 
place  indicated.  The  marquis'  voice  was  clear,  cold, 
and,  like  himself,  exquisitely  polished  and  clean  cut. 
What  he  said  was  in  the  nature  of  a  command,  and 
although  he  was  no  match  physically  for  the  man  to 
whom  he  spoke,  he  was  obeyed  as  it  were  automatically. 
Indeed,  for  a  moment  the  man's  hand  half  rose  to  his 
bonnet. 

"  Yes,  Monsieur  le  —  "  He  recovered  himself  just  in 
time.  "  Citizen  Vaudemont,"  he  said  harshly. 

"Pardon,"  said  the  marquis,  "you  will  address 
me  as  you  started  out  or  our  conference  terminates 
immediately." 

"The  Republic,"  growled  the  man,  savagely,  "has 
abolished  all  titles,  cit  —  " 

"  Not  that !  "  interrupted  the  older  man. 

"  Oh,  as  you  will,"  answered  the  other  with  affected 
carelessness  ;  "  there  are  none  to  hear  anyway,  and  where 
no  one  knows  there  is  no  harm  in  breaking  the  law." 

"  That  doubtless  is  a  convenient  code  of  conduct  for 
Jean  Garron,  but  you  did  not  ask  this  parley  to  give 
me  your  views  upon  ethical  questions,  I  infer,  and  as  I 
do  not  wish  to  hold  any  further  conversation  with  you 
than  is  necessary,  you  would  better  state  your  business, 
if  you  have  any,  and  retire." 


THE   MAEQUIS   AND   THE  PEASANT  7 

The  manner  of  the  marquis  was  intensely  aggravat- 
ing. Swallowing  his  wrath  as  best  he  could,  Garron 
began. 

"  Yonder  are  my  forces.  There  are  two  hundred 
brave  sans  culottes,  patriotic,  liberty-loving  citizens 
of  the  Republic  —  " 

"  I  have  observed  those  worthy  citizens,"  interrupted 
the  marquis,  caustically. 

"  I  have  received  word  from  General  Carteaux  that 
Admiral  St.  Julien  has  sent  me  a  battalion  of  marines 
with  a  field-piece.  I  am  a  captain  in  the  navy  of  the 
Republic,  cit  —  Monsieur  1' Amiral  —  " 

"  The  Republic  must  be  in  desperate  straits  to  make 
you  a  captain,  monsieur." 

"  You  can  call  me  '  citizen,' "  growled  Garron,  " '  tis 
the  order  of  the  Republic." 

"  I  shall  call  you  anything  I  want,  Garron,"  returned 
the  marquis,  contemptuously.  "  You  a  captain  !  You 
on  the  quarter-deck  !  You  are  not  fit  to  take  charge  of 
a  cock-boat !  You  are  just  what  you  always  were,  an 
insubordinate,  insolent,  common  sailor  !  I  have  not 
forgotten  that  I  had  you  well  flogged  on  Le  Tonnant 
on  our  last  cruise." 

The  marquis  did  not  mince  words.  What  he  thought, 
that  he  said,  and  his  speech  evidently  was  not  agreeable 
to  his  auditor. 

"  No,  by  God  !  "  cried  the  other,  fiercely,  "  and  I  have 
not  forgotten  it  either  I  I'm  going  to  see  that  you  pay 
for  it  now  !  " 

"  I  always  strive  to  discharge  my  debts,"  replied  the 


8  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

marquis,  equably,  taking  snuff  as  he  spoke,  "  and  my 
only  regret  is  that  my  obligation  to  you  is  not  heavier. 
I  let  you  off  too  easily.  Do  not  step  over  that  line  !  " 
he  added  sharply. 

"  Why  not,  pray  ?  " 

"  Well,  really  I  do  not  see  that  any  explanation  need 
be  made  you.  My  wish  should  suffice.  But  possibly 
I  can  serve  my  King  and  country  better  by  allowing 
you  to  live  and  fill  that  position  to  which  your  talents 
have  elevated  you,  than  by  having  you  killed." 

"  I  don't  understand,"  interrupted  Garron. 

"It  is  very  simple.  You  can  do  more  harm  to  the 
Republic  in  command  of  one  of  her  ships  than  you  can 
dead.  Therefore  I  again  advise  you  not  to  step  over 
that  line." 

"  Why  not  ?  In  two  bounds  I  could  be  on  you  and 
you  would  be  nothing  in  my  hands." 

"Before  you  took  those  two  bounds,  however,"  con- 
tinued the  other,  suavely  and  imperturbably,  "  or,  to  be 
more  accurate,  between  the  first  and  second  leap,  you 
would  be  dead." 

"How?" 

"Shot!" 

"  By  you  ?  " 

"  Cast  your  eyes  to  the  right,  Monsieur  le  Capitaine. 
There  !  "  said  the  marquis,  pointing,  "  the  sunlight  falls 
upon  it.  Do  you  mark  it  ?  " 

"A  gun  barrel?" 

"Yes." 

"And  behind  it?" 


THE  MARQUIS  AND   THE   PEASANT  9 

"  The  best  marksman  in  France." 

"  Bre*bo3uf  ?  " 

"Just  so.  And  he  has  orders  to  fire  if  you  cross 
that  line  !  You  were  never  nearer  death  than  at  this 
moment,  Jean  Garron.  Ay,  you  may  well  shrink  back." 

"  Curses  on  you  !  "  cried  the  man,  "  I  trusted  to  your 
honor." 

"You  did  well.  But  if  I  had  trusted  to  yours  ! 
Pouf  !  "  The  marquis  smiled  and  made  a  little  airy 
gesture.  "  I  know  you,  you  see,  Garron.  Honor  in 
France  died  with  the  King,  God  rest  his  soul ! "  said 
the  old  gentleman,  lifting  his  hat.  "  Only  those  who 
loved  him  cherish  it  still.  You  never  had  any  at  best. 
Therefore  I  took  precaution.  You  have  shown  me  that 
I  did  well.  Is  the  interview  over  ?  " 

"  Name  of  a  dog,  no  !  I  have  not  said  anything  that 
I  intended  to  say." 

"  Yet,  my  good  Garron,  you  have  talked  not  a  little 
and  you  have  occupied  some  time.  The  conversation 
is  tiresome  to  me,  and  my  time  I  would  devote  to  other 
things  to  better  advantage.  Unless  you  have  some- 
thing to  say  of  importance,  I  will  bid  you  au  revoir." 

"  I  have  something  important  to  say,"  answered  Gar- 
ron ;  "  and  I  will  say  it  bluntly.  You  have  a  grand- 
daughter." 

"I  suppose,"  said  the  marquis,  reflectively,  "that 
there  is  no  way  by  which  I  can  prevent  you  from  speak- 
ing about  her.  But  I  give  you  my  word  that  if  you 
had  not  trusted  to  my  honor  I  would  run  you  through 
like  the  dog  you  are  for  daring  to  mention  her  name  !  " 


10  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Talk,"  said  Garron,  sapiently,  "  breaks  no  bones.  I 
am  here  to  say  something  and  say  it  I  will !  " 

"Goon."   " 

"  I  love  your  granddaughter." 

If  the  earth  had  suddenly  opened  beneath  his  feet,  the 
marquis  would  not  have  been  more  astonished. 

"  You  !  "  he  cried. 

A  thousand  years  of  overwhelming,  overpowering, 
assured  domination  was  packed  into  the  monosyllable. 
It  fairly  bristled  with  incredulity,  astonishment,  out- 
raged pride,  contempt. 

"  Even  I,"  answered  Garron,  boldly.  "  Why  not  ? 
I  am  a  man  if  I  was  born  a  peasant.  I  am  a  man  if  you 
did  flog  me  at  the  gangway.  By  God,  you  shall  pay 
for  every  lash  !  " 

"You  said  that  before." 

"  I  want  you  to  remember  it.     The  Republic  —  " 

"  Some  one,"  interrupted  the  marquis  in  unconscious 
prophecy,  "will  blow  that  Republic  of  yours  out  of 
existence  with  a  whiff  of  grapeshot  some  day." 

"  That  may  be.  It  stands  firm  enough  at  present. 
'Twill  last  my  time,  I  fancy.  It  has  made  us  all  equal. 
Indeed,  if  there  be  any  favored  citizens,  they  are  the 
patriots  who,  like  myself,  have  bared  their  breasts  to 
the  enemy  for  her  defence." 

The  marquis  laughed.  He  had  recovered  his  im- 
perturbability and  the  situation  even  seemed  humorous 
to  him. 

"  You  may  laugh,  monsieur,"  exclaimed  Garron,  hotly, 
"  but  your  fate  is  in  my  hands.  I  can  save  your  life. 


11 

Perhaps  you,  too,  can  do  the  Republic  more  service  by 
being  left  to  live  as  its  enemy  than  you  could  by  dying." 
He  laughed  roughly  at  his  reapplication  of  the  mar- 
quis' remark.  "  At  any  rate,  you  are  an  £migr£  who 
has  returned  to  France.  Sentence  of  death  has  been 
passed  upon  you  and  your  whole  brood.  I  stood  by  la 
m£re  guillotine  when  the  young  Captain  de  Vaudemont 
had  his  head  taken  off.  I  dipped  this  rag  in  his  blood," 
he  cried,  drawing  forth  a  grimy,  ominously  stained  piece 
of  cloth  from  his  breast  and  throwing  it  at  the  old  man's 
feet.  "  I  have  kept  it  to  show  you.  'Twas  I  who  laid 
information  against  him." 

"  Breboeuf  !  "  cried  the  marquis,  sharply,  infuriated 
at  this  terrific  exhibition. 

There  was  a  sudden  movement  of  the  gun  barrel 
through  the  loophole  in  the  wall. 

"  Monsieur  ! "  cried  Garron,  "  I  trusted  to  your 
honor  !  " 

"  Do  not  try  me  too  far  !  "  said  the  marquis.  "  Say 
what  you  have  to  say  and  be  gone  !  " 

"  'Tis  this.  You  and  that  brat  of  a  boy,  your  grand- 
son, shall  be  beheaded,  when  I  have  taken  the  tower. 
The  woman  I  shall  take  for  myself  without  formalities 
of  any  kind,  when  I  have  taken  the  tower.  Now,  I 
offer  you  and  the  boy  and  anybody  else  you  may  have 
within  those  walls,  saving  one,  life,  and  a  boat  on  the 
shore  in  a  sheltered  cove  below  here  —  your  own  boat,  for 
I  have  taken  St.  Martin,  he's  feeding  the  fish  now.  You 
may  go  anywhere  you  will,  and  I  will  honor  the  woman 
by  marrying  her.  Otherwise  —  " 


12  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Have  you  done  ?  "  asked  the  marquis,  quietly. 

"Yes." 

"  Hear  me.  You  dog,  I  would  kill  her  with  my  own 
hands  rather  than  see  her  fall  into  yours  !  As  to  taking 
the  tower,  you  have  tried  for  a  week." 

"  Not  with  a  field-piece,  monsieur.  See  ! "  He 
pointed  far  down  the  valley  to  an  opening  in  the  moun- 
tains. A  little  cloud  of  dust  hung  over  the  wood. 
Through  it  the  sunlight  gleamed  on  spear  points  and 
bayonets.  "  There  they  come  !  Be  advised  !  Give 
me  the  woman.  I  will  treat  her  well.  I  will  —  " 

"  Breboeuf  !  "  called  the  marquis  in  a  loud  voice,  "  I 
am  going  to  count  ten.  If,  when  the  count  is  completed, 
this  person  is  not  halfway  down  the  hill,  I  order  you  to 
fire." 

"  But  —  "  began  Garron. 

"  You  have  heard,"  said  the  marquis.     "  One  !  " 

Garron  hesitated,  his  face  a  picture  of  rage.  He 
glanced  from  the  marquis  to  that  threatening  gun 
barrel. 

"  Two  !  "  said  the  marquis. 

The  man  shook  his  fist  at  the  old  nobleman  and 
turned  on  his  heel. 

"  Three  !  "  said  the  marquis. 

Garron  started  down  the  hill. 

"  Four  I  "  said  the  marquis. 

He  quickened  his  pace. 

"  I  said  halfway  down  the  hill,"  cried  the  old  man, 
counting  five. 

The  rapid   walk   broke   into  a   run.     The   marquis 


THE   MARQUIS   AND   THE   PEASANT  13 

counted  ten,  but  Garron  had  almost  reached  his  camp 
before  the  number  was  completed. 

The  marquis  picked  up  the  bit  of  cloth  at  his  feet, 
glanced  contemptuously  at  the  fly  ing  man,  apprehensively 
at  the  approaching  soldiery,  and  then  quickly  retraced 
his  steps  and  reentered  the  tower  through  the  wicket 
gate. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  SILENT 


THE  Chateau  de  Bollene  had  been  a  famous  strong- 
hold five  hundred  years  before.  For  centuries  its 
barons  had  levied  tribute  on  land  and  sea.  The  abroga- 
tion of  the  feudal  privileges  of  the  great  provincial 
nobility,  which  began  under  Louis  XI  and  which  had 
been  consummated  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV,  had 
brought  about  the  abandonment  of  the  rude  pile  of 
stone  upon  the  edge  of  the  Mediterranean.  It  had  been 
dismantled,  allowed  to  fall  into  decay,  and  was  in  1793 
little  better  than  a  ruin.  Indeed,  the  only  portion  of  it 
left  habitable,  and  consequently  defensible,  was  the  low 
tower  into  which  the  marquis  had  just  entered. 

Within  the  tower,  which  was  about  twenty  feet  in 
diameter  and  circular  in  shape,  there  was  a  single  large 
room  with  a  low,  heavily  beamed  ceiling.  The  walls 
were  pierced  with  loopholes  on  all  sides.  A  dilapi- 
dated stone  stairway  led  to  a  second  story.  On  the  roof 
there  was  a  crumbling  parapet,  in  which  an  improvised 
flagstaff  had  been  fixed  for  the  temporary  support  of  a 
white  banner  embroidered  with  the  golden  lilies  of  the 
dispossessed  and  recently  executed  King  of  France. 
There  was  no  furniture  of  any  sort  in  either  the  upper 
or  lower  room.  The  lower  was  dimly  lighted  from 

14 


THE   SILENT   BKEBCEUF  15 

the  loopholes  and  from  the  opening  in  the  ceiling  for 
the  stairs.  There  were  windows  in  the  upper  room, 
originally  filled  with  horn,  later  with  leaded  glass,  but 
horn  and  glass  had  long  since  vanished  and  the  open- 
ings gaped  as  empty  as  the  family  fortune. 

Two  or  three  serviceable  leather  portmanteaux  lay 
on  the  floor  in  the  centre  of  the  room.  From  one  of 
them,  which  was  opened,  the  marquis  had  evidently 
extracted  the  clothing  that  he  wore.  The  marquis 
made  it  a  point  to  put  on  his  best  clothes  when  facing 
imminent  danger.  Always  to  go  into  action  in  full 
dress  was  his  invariable  custom.  In  that  he  was  not 
peculiar,  for  it  was  the  practice  of  most  of  the  great  sea 
officers  of  that  day  of  ceremony  and  form.  A  rougher 
and  more  serviceable  blue  uniform  than  the  Court 
suit  he  wore,  that  of  the  Royal  Navy  of  France,  lay 
upon  the  lid  of  one  of  the  cases. 

In  the  room  there  were  three  people.  One  of  them 
was  bending  over  his  gun,  which  was  still  thrust 
through  a  loophole  nearest  the  spot  where  the  marquis 
had  parleyed  with  Garron.  This  was  an  elderly  man 
of  gigantic  build.  He  was  dressed  in  the  peculiar 
and  distinctive  costume  of  the  Breton  peasantry, 
save  that  he  wore  shoes  instead  of  sabots,  and  might 
at  that  moment  have  stepped  out  of  La  Vendee  and 
the  Army  of  Charette  or  de  la  Rochejaquelein.  Out 
of  deference  to  the  other  occupants  he  had  removed 
his  hat,  and  his  long  gray  hair  fell  upon  his  broad 
shoulders.  He  neither  turned,  moved,  nor  spoke  when 
the  marquis  entered.  Bending  slightly,  the  better  to 


16  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

see  through  the  narrow  opening,  he  kept  his  eyes  fixed 
on  the  enemy. 

Musket  in  hand,  at  another  loophole  some  distance 
from  the  man,  thus  enabling  her  to  cover  another  possible 
point  of  attack,  stood  a  woman,  tall,  sturdy,  powerful. 
She  wore  a  small  cap  upon  her  head.  Her  short  dress 
disclosed  a  pair  of  stout  limbs  and  heavily  shod  feet. 
Her  sleeves  were  rolled  up,  and  her  naked  arms  looked 
almost  strong  enough  to  match  those  of  the  man.  As 
the  marquis  entered  she  allowed  the  butt  of  her  musket 
to  drop  on  the  stone  floor  and  turned  and  looked  at 
him. 

In  the  middle  of  the  room,  also  gun  in  hand,  stood 
a  second  woman.  She  was  not  quite  so  tall  as  the 
other  and  was  cast  in  a  finer  mould.  In  cut  and  fashion 
her  dress  was  like  that  of  her  humbler  sister,  although 
more  elegant.  In  material  it  was  much  richer.  From 
her  appearance  she  might  be  eighteen  years  of  age. 
She  had  by  no  means  reached  her  full  development,  but 
to  the  most  casual  observer  it  was  evident  that  she 
would  eventually  attain  to  a  tall  and  beautifully  pro- 
portioned womanhood  when  she  had  reached  her 
appointed  stature.  What  she  then  lacked  in  mere 
physical  strength  as  compared  with  the  other  she  made 
up  in  nervous  force. 

The  older  woman,  at  the  loophole,  was  excited  and 
trembling.  The  weapon  in  her  hand  shook  with  her 
agitation.  The  younger,  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  was 
as  calm  and  composed  as  the  marquis  himself.  Indeed, 
in  many  ways  she  resembled  her  grandfather,  although 


THE   SILENT   BKEBGEUF  17 

he  was  not  so  tall  for  a  man  as  she  bade  fair  to  be  for  a 
woman.  There  was  a  slight  flush  upon  her  pale  cheek, 
indeed,  but  the  hand  clasping  the  gun  barrel  was  as 
steady  as  if  her  slender  fingers  held  nothing  more 
harmful  than  a  fan.  Waiting  to  be  spoken  to,  she  said 
nothing,  only  the  relief  in  her  eyes  and  their  eager, 
questioning  look  proclaiming  at  once  her  satisfaction 
and  her  interest.  The  marquis  glanced  at  her  with 
natural  pride  ;  then  he  turned  — 

"  Watch  your  loophole,  Aurore  !  "  he  said  sharply. 

"  Yes,  Monsieur  le  Marquis,"  she  responded  volubly, 
glad  of  a  chance  to  speak,  "  I  thank  God  Monsieur  le 
Marquis  comes  back  alive  from  his  interview  with  that 
mSchant  Garron." 

"  I  was  in  no  danger,  my  good  Aurore,"  returned  the 
marquis,  smiling,  "  so  long  as  Brebceuf  attended  to  his 
duty." 

"  Oh,  the  immaculate  Breboeuf !  "  rattled  on  the 
maid,  who,  being  her  young  mistress'  foster-sister,  was 
a  privileged  character.  "  He  always  attends  to  his 
duty." 

"  He  does,"  retorted  the  marquis,  dryly;  "  now  do  you 
attend  to  yours." 

There  was  a  shake  of  Brebceuf's  broad  shoulders,  a 
sort  of  silent  laugh,  which  showed  that  he  at  least 
appreciated  the  retort  of  his  master.  Abashed  for  the 
moment,  Aurore  lifted  her  gun  and  turned  once  again 
to  her  station. 

"  Mademoiselle,"  said  the  nobleman,  bowing  low  to 
his  granddaughter  —  he  was  quite  as  courteous  to  the 


18  THE   TWO    CAPTAINS 

women  of  his  own  household  as  to  those  of  any  other  — 
"  allow  me." 

As  he  spoke  he  slipped  off  the  laced  coat  with  its 
blazonry  of  orders  that  he  had  worn,  and  laid  it  care- 
fully in  the  portmanteau. 

"  The  Republicans,"  he  remarked  lightly,  "  have, 
abolished  distinctions  and  decreed  extinctions  not  only 
of  the  gentry  but  of  the  noble  family  of  valets  as  well. 
Every  man  is  his  own  lackey  —  " 

"  Let  me,  sir  —  "  interrupted  his  granddaughter. 

"  By  no  means,"  said  the  marquis,  quickly,  "  I  did  but 
jest,  Louise.  I  am  a  sailor,  accustomed  to  wait  upon 
myself  —  if  I  have  to.  If  that  were  all  the  Republic 
had  done  for  France,  we  might  forgive  it." 

As  he  spoke  he  donned  the  plain  blue  naval  uniform 
with  its  red  facings,  exchanged  his  buckled  shoes  for  a 
pair  of  serviceable  boots,  picked  up  his  musket  from  the 
wall  where  he  had  rested  it,  and  stood  shorn  of  all  his 
finery  save  his  jewelled  sword. 

"  Now,"  he  remarked,  "  I  am  ready  for  them  again. 
Were  you  alarmed  like  Aurore  for  my  safety,  my  dear  ?  " 

"No,  sir." 

"  Ah,  then  you  trusted  to  the  honor  of  Monsieur 
Garron?" 

"  No  more  than  you  did,  sir ;  I  trusted  to  your  tact 
and  courage." 

"  And  Brebo3uf 's  marksmanship  ?  " 

"  Of  course,"  answered  the  girl,  looking  at  the  broad 
shoulders  of  the  ancient  servitor  with  a  faint  smile  of 
approbation. 


THE   SILENT   BREBCEUF  19 

"  Could  you  hear  what  was  going  on  ?  " 

u  You  gave  me  no  permission,  sir.     I  did  not  listen." 

"  That's  well  I  Should  you  like  to  know  what  Gar- 
ron  wanted?" 

"  If  it  please  you,  sir,"  said  the  girl,  inclining  her 
head. 

Again  her  grandfather  looked  upon  her  with  pride 
and  satisfaction.  These  were  the  manners  he  liked. 
The  ancient  deference  of  a  child  for  father  or  grand- 
sire,  the  unquestioning  obedience  of  youth  for  age,  the 
respect  of  tender  years  to  rank  and  position,  the  sub- 
mission of  femininity  to  manhood  —  already  old- 
fashioned  in  France,  which  has  set  the  fashion  for  the 
rest  of  the  world  in  these  as  in  many  other  vain  things. 

"My  dear  child,"  he  said,  "he  came  to  offer  us 
terms." 

"  Terms,  monsieur?  " 

"  Yes.  He  will  let  us  all  go  if  we  will  yield  to  him 
the  woman  whom  he  designs  to  make  his  wife." 

"Give  me  leave,  my  lord,"  cried  Aurore,  who  was 
keeping  a  better  watch  with  her  ears  than  her  eyes,  at 
the  same  time  dropping  her  gun  to  the  stone  floor  with 
a  tremendous  clatter  and  coming  forward  with  arms 
akimbo,  "  I  would  do  anything  else  for  you,  but  marry 
Jean  Garron  I  won't !  " 

"  Not  even  to  save  me,  woman  ?  "  asked  the  marquis, 
quietly. 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,  —  "  said  the  other,  halting  lamely, 
"  well,  I  —  I  will  agree  to  even  that  for  you  and  made- 
moiselle. But  leave  me  your  pistols,  Monsieur  le 


20  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

Marquis,  that  I  may  kill  him  and  myself  in  the  bridal 
chamber." 

"I  will  not  have  Aurore  sacrificed  to  that  brute, 
grandfather,"  interrupted  Louise. 

"  Oh,  mademoiselle,  for  you  I  —  " 

"  Peace,  woman  !  "  said  the  marquis,  sternly,  "  keep 
to  your  loophole  !  He  does  not  want  you !  " 

"  Not  me  !  "  gasped  the  woman  with  her  mouth  open. 
"  Why,  it  cannot  be  —  " 

"'Tis  mademoiselle,"  said  the  marquis,  suavely, 
"upon  whom  he  designs  to  bestow  the  honor  of  his 
name." 

"  Impossible  !  "  cried  the  girl. 

"It  is  even  so." 

"  Why  didn't  you  kill  him  where  he  stood  ?  " 

"  I  was  inclined  to  do  so,  but  he  was  under  the  safe- 
guard of  my  honor.  One  must  keep  faith  even  with 
these  assassins !  " 

"  Monsieur !  "  called  out  a  boyish  voice  from  the 
roof  above,  "  a  body  of  men  in  uniform  have  joined  the 
camp.  There  are  horses  among  them.  The  sunlight 
shines  upon  a  cannon." 

"  You  keep  good  watch,  Honore,"  returned  the  mar- 
quis, raising  his  voice,  "  Garron  told  me  he  expected 
a  field-piece.  It  has  come.  Report  to  me  anything 
further  that  you  may  see.  Do  not  expose  yourself 
needlessly.  A  good  soldier,  you  know,  does  not  throw 
away  his  life  for  nothing." 

"  Very  well,  sir,  I  shall  be  careful,"  replied  the  young 
count. 


THE  SILENT   BUfcBCETTF  21 

"  Poor  boy,"  said  the  marquis,  softly,  speaking  to  no 
one  apparently.  "  Well,  he  must  learn  to  face  death 
earlier  than  the  de  Vaudemonts  have  been  accustomed 
to  meet  it.  Do  you  see  anything,  Brebceuf  ?  " 

The  old  man  was  chary  of  words.  He  turned  his 
head  and  nodded. 

"  Has  the  boy  seen  correctly  ?  " 

Another  nod. 

"Go  you  to  him  above.  Watch  with  him  there. 
You  served  me  faithfully  a  moment  since,"  he  added, 
as  the  man  withdrew  his  gun  and  marched  toward  the 
stairway  saluting  his  master  as  he  passed  him.  "  But 
then  you  have  served  me  faithfully  all  your  life.  I 
suppose  your  fingers  itched  to  pull  the  trigger?  " 

Brebo3uf,  nodding  a  third  time,  mounted  the  stair. 

"  Well,  some  day,  please  God,  you  may  have  a  chance 
at  that  dastard,"  continued  the  marquis. 

"  Grandfather,"  said  the  girl,  "  if  they  have  a  cannon 
they  can  batter  down  this  crumbling  old  tower.  You 
said  yourself  after  the  attack  of  yesterday  that  if  they 
had  a  heavy  gun  we  could  no  longer  defend  the  place." 

Another  man  would  have  dissembled  to  another 
woman.  Not  so  the  marquis.  Gentle  blood  in 
France  had  faced  too  many  appalling  dangers  in  the 
recent  past  to  quail  at  the  thought  of  another,  however 
imminent  and  terrible. 

"  You  are  right,  my  child.  If  they  put  a  field-piece 
on  that  hill  just  out  of  range  of  our  muskets,  they  can 
knock  the  tower  to  pieces." 

"And  then?" 


22  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

"Then  we  can  die  as  become  nobles  of  France, 
servants  of  our  King." 

"Yes,  but  how  — " 

"Brebceuf  and  I  will  hold  the  stairway.  You  and 
Honore  and  Aurore  will  be  above.  Perhaps  I  may  let 
the  boy  come  down.  He  is  old  enough  to  die  by  his 
grandfather's  side.  The  pistols  are  for  you  and  Aurore. 
You  must  never  fall  alive  into  their  hands." 

"  Oh,  if  Captain  St.  Martin  were  only  here !  He 
swore  he  would  be  here  with  a  boat.  We  have  come 
across  the  width  of  France  from  Paris  through  every 
danger  without  mishap,  thinking  to  find  a  boat  to  take 
us  to  Italy,  to  Austria  —  anywhere,  to  safety  —  only 
to  be  trapped  at  last !  Has  Captain  St.  Martin  proved 
a  traitor?" 

"My  dear  child,"  said  the  marquis,  quietly,  "he  has 
proved  his  fidelity  with  his  life.  Garron  learned  of 
the  plan  some  way.  He  seized  our  friend,  killed  him, 
scuttled  the  boat,  or  at  all  events  made  off  with  it,  and, 
voila,  here  we  are  !  " 

"  Is  there  no  escape  ?  " 

"  None." 

"What  did  you  say  to  Garron's  proposition,  mon- 
sieur?" 

"  I  gave  him  just  ten  seconds  to  get  down  that  hill," 
answered  the  old  man,  grimly.  "  You  should  have  seen 
him  run ! " 

"  Monsieur,"  said  the  young  woman,  earnestly,  com- 
ing closer  and  laying  her  hand  on  his  shoulder,  "you 
are  one  of  the  great  nobles  of  France.  A  vice-admiral 


THE    SILENT    BRBBCEUF  23 

in  her  navy,  a  man  of  experience,  ability,  and  courage. 
You  bear  a  great  name  and  have  a  rank  and  position 
upon  which  to  rally  adherents  to  the  support  of  our 
boy  King,  Louis  XVII.  I  am  only  a  girl.  My  life 
is  of  value  to  no  one.  I  will  go  to  this  Jean  Garron. 
I  will  agree  to  his  terms.  I  will  consent  to  be  his  wife. 
What  said  Aurore?  Our  marriage  day  shall  witness 
his  death  and  mine." 

"  Oh,  mademoiselle !  "  cried  her  foster-sister,  depre- 
catingly. 

"Not  even  for  France,  my  dear  child,  would  I 
consent  to  that,"  said  the  marquis;  "I  despair  of 
the  land  we  love.  The  people  have  gone  mad.  I  am 
an  old  man.  There  is  but  little  I  can  do.  If  I 
could  not  attend  my  King  to  the  scaffold,  at  least 
a  death  here  will  not  be  unfitting.  What  is  there  to 
live  for?" 

"  Another  King ;  a  King  dies,  but  royalty  lives.  The 
land  changes  masters,  but  it  is  still  France.  For  you, 
and  for  France,  I  will  go  to  Jean  Garron,  and  —  " 

"  Louise,"  said  the  old  man,  drawing  from  his  breast 
the  blood-stained  piece  of  cloth,  "  you  cannot  even  pre- 
tend with  him.  This  man  is  immediately  responsible 
for  the  death  of  my  son.  To  sate  his  inveterate  hatred 
of  the  family  he  dipped  this  in  the  blood  of  your  mur- 
dered father  at  the  guillotine." 

"  O  God,  my  father !  "  cried  the  young  comtesse, 
shrinking  away  from  the  gruesome  object  in  the  old 
man's  hand. 

"You  see  it  is  impossible." 


24  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

The  girl  hid  her  face  in  her  hands  and  shuddered. 
Aurore  burst  into  sobs  where  she  stood. 

"  Come,  my  child,  no  more  of  this,"  said  the  old  man, 
tenderly.  "There  is  nothing  to  be  done.  We  must 
face  death  as  we  have  faced  life,  with  smiling  counte- 
nances,"—  it  was  the  philosophy  of  France — "and  leave 
to  the  good  God  —  " 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   COMTESSE   TAKES   COMMAND 

"GRANDFATHER,"  cried  the  boy  from  the  room 
above,  "they  are  running  the  gun  over  to  the  hill 
nearest  the  tower." 

"  I  suppose  so,"  said  the  marquis,  stepping  over  to  the 
loophole  and  glancing  hastily  through  it.  "  You  would 
better  come  here,  for  the  present,  my  boy.  You  too, 
Brebosuf.  The  top  of  the  tower  will  go  first.  'Tis  the 
weakest  part." 

Even  as  he  spoke  there  came  faintly  into  the 
room  a  muffled  roar.  An  instant  after  the  sound 
was  followed  by  the  crash  of  a  heavy  shot  against 
the  upper  wall  of  the  tower  which  fairly  shook  the 
place. 

"  A  heavy  gun  ! "  exclaimed  the  old  man,  coolly. 

Aurore  screamed  but  the  comtesse  said  nothing. 
There  was  a  rain  of  stone  upon  the  floor  from  the  im- 
pact of  the  shot.  In  the  confusion  those  below  heard 
the  sputter  of  a  musket  from  the  chamber  above. 

"  Breboeuf  !  "  called  the  marquis,  sharply,  "  come 
down,  you  and  the  count,  at  once  !  " 

Immediately  Breboeuf,  half  leading,  half  dragging  a 
boy  of  fifteen  years  of  age,  who  looked  strikingly  like 
his  sister,  came  plunging  down  the  stairs. 

25 


26  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Are  you  hurt,  Honore  ?  " 

"  No,  monsieur." 

"  Who  fired  that  shot  ?  " 

"  I  did,  sir.     I  couldn't  help  it  —  I  —  I  — " 

"  It  was  a  wasted  shot,  my  lad.  Good  soldiers  are  as 
chary  of  shots  as  they  are  of  lives.  They  are  out  of 
range  of  your  musket." 

"  But  can  we  do  nothing  at  all,  sir  ?  "  asked  Honore. 

"  At  present  nothing  but  wait.  Have  all  the  pieces 
charged,  and  if  the  rascals  make  a  practicable  breach  in 
the  walls  and  any  of  us  survive  the  process  we  can  give 
them  a  warm  reception  when  they  attempt  to  storm  the 
tower  !  " 

While  the  guns  were  being  reloaded  by  the  careful 
Brebceuf,  by  the  direction  of  the  marquis  the  two 
women  retreated  to  a  position  where  the  stone  stairway, 
which  happened  to  rise  on  the  side  which  was  receiving 
the  battering,  gave  them  some  additional  protection  ; 
where,  indeed,  save  for  flying  pieces  of  stone,  they  were 
reasonably  safe  until  the  inevitable  attack  was  delivered. 
Breboeuf  and  the  marquis  stood  withdrawn  from  the 
probable  line  of  fire,  but  at  the  loopholes  whence  they 
could  see  what  was  going  on  and  be  in  a  position  to  fire 
should  the  enemy  approach  within  range  of  their  small 
arms.  By  his  grandfather's  side  young  Houore  took 
his  post. 

Each  individual  had  a  musket,  but  in  addition  the 
marquis  had  given  one  of  his  pistols  to  each  of  the 
women.  These  they  had  thrust  into  the  broad  sashes 
which  confined  their  short-waisted  gowns.  They  both 


THE   COMTESSE  TAKES   COMMAND  27 

knew  for  what  purpose  they  were  designed.  The  mar- 
quis and  Comte  Honore  wore  swords,  while  Breboeuf 
had  buckled  around  his  waist  an  immense  ship's  cutlass 
somewhat  like  that  carried  by  Garron. 

For  a  time  no  one  said  anything.  The  siege  gun  was 
served  with  accuracy  and  rapidity.  The  battering  on 
the  tower  wall  was  practically  continuous.  It  was  a 
terrific  strain  for  the  inmates  to  remain  in  quiet  inaction 
and  see  their  only  bulwark  of  defence  battered  to  pieces. 
But  there  was  nothing  else  to  do.  The  way  they  sev- 
erally bore  it  was  in  consonance  with  their  characters 
and  dispositions.  Breboeuf  stood  resting  upon  his  mus- 
ket with  a  gloomy,  saturnine  countenance  expressing 
nothing.  Aurore  sank  down  on  the  stairs  and  whim- 
pered piteously.  The  boy  was  quivering  with  excite- 
ment. The  old  marquis  was  as  composed  as  if  he  were 
attending  a  levee  at  Versailles  or  St.  Germain.  Once 
he  took  his  snuff-box  from  his  pocket,  elaborately  helped 
himself,  stepped  over  to  his  grandson,  and  offered  him 
a  pinch  with  a  profound  bow.  He  had  noticed  the 
youngster's  emotion,  and  the  simple  action  reassured  and 
strengthened  the  boy  and  he  emulated  his  grandfather 
by  taking  a  pinch.  To  take  a  pinch  of  snuff  gracefully 
under  any  circumstances  was  a  part  of  the  marquis' 
religion,  and  he  narrowly  watched  the  comte  to  see  how 
he  acquitted  himself.  He  smiled  with  approval  when 
he  found  that  his  grandson  did  it  extremely  well,  with 
a  manner  exactly  like  his  own. 

Then  the  marquis,  with  unheard-of  condescension, 
turned  and  offered  the  snuff-box  to  Brebreuf.  The  old 


28  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

seaman  started  back  in  surprise,  waving  his  hand  depre- 
catingly. 

"  We  live,"  said  the  marquis,  "  in  the  days  of  the 
Republic,  my  good  Breboeuf.  All  men,  so  our  friend 
Garron  informs  us,  are  created  equal.  There  are  no 
longer  gentle  and  simple  in  the  world  outside.  They 
all  belong  to  the  aristocracy.  Inside  let  us  be  of  the 
fashion.  If  fidelity  and  long  service  are  forgotten  and 
loyalty  is  an  unregarded  virtue  in  France,  I,  at  least,  am 
not  unmindful.  We  face  death,  my  good  Breboeuf,  and 
there  is  as  great  a  difference  between  the  high  and  low 
at  this  moment  as  in  any  other,  and  will  be  in  heaven 
or  hell,  I  am  persuaded.  But,  I  will  permit  you  for  the 
moment.  Oh,  Garron,  we  who  are  about  to  die  take 
snuff  !  Breboeuf,  will  you  honor  me  ?  " 

With  a  gleam  of  pride  on  his  craggy  countenance 
Breboeuf  thrust  a  huge  forefinger  and  thumb  in  the 
dainty  box,  helped  himself  to  a  generous  pinch  with  a 
gesture  singularly  like  that  of  the  marquis,  bowed 
before  him,  straightened  himself  up,  struck  the  barrel 
of  his  gun  with  his  hand,  and  resumed  his  watch. 

"  Grandfather,"  said  Louise,  "  will  it  be  long  ?  " 

"  Not  long,  my  dear.  See  !  The  wall  is  already 
crumbling.  A  few  more  shots  like  that  last  and  we  are 
open  to  the  enemy." 

There  was  a  silence  in  the  room  for  a  space,  and  then 
the  voice  of  the  girl  broke  it. 

"  We  have  no  priest.  Would  you  consider  it  imper- 
tinent, sir,  if  I  said  a  word  of  prayer  ?  " 

"  Prayer  always  becomes  the  nobles  of  France,"  said 


THE  COMTESSE  TAKES   COMMAND  29 

the  old  man,  gravely,  removing  his  hat,  while  the  voice 
of  his  granddaughter  uttered  the  Paternoster  which  she 
had  been  accustomed  to  repeat  in  Latin  in  the  convent 
whence  she  had  been  hurried  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
Revolution.  Before  the  little  prayer  was  completed, 
however,  a  final  and  well-placed  shot  striking  the  weak- 
ened and  shattered  wall  hit  exactly  the  right  spot  and 
tore  out  a  large  section  of  it.  Bits  of  stone  and  mortar 
almost  as  hard  flew  in  all  directions  throughout  the 
place.  One  of  them  struck  the  marquis  in  the  fore- 
head, hurling  him  to  the  floor.  Enough  of  the  wall 
had  fallen  to  afford  an  easy  entrance  into  the  room. 
With  a  cry  the  girl  went  to  the  side  of  the  old  man. 

"  They  are  coming !  "  cried  Honore,  who  had  run  to 
the  nearest  loophole  without  noticing  his  grandfather's 
condition. 

Brebceuf  looked  uncertainly  at  the  young  girl.  The 
marquis  was  senseless.  Naturally  the  leadership  fell  to 
her.  She  rose  to  the  emergency  in  an  instant. 

"They  will  fire  no  more  with  the  cannon,"  she 
cried.  "We  will  go  to  the  upper  room.  Brebceuf, 
do  you  carry  your  master.  Come,  Honore.  Come, 
Aurore." 

Lifting  the  old  man  tenderly  the  seaman  bore  him 
up  the  shattered  stairs.  The  upper  room  was  a  ruin. 
Large  sections  of  the  wall  had  been  knocked  to  pieces. 
The  roof  gaped  to  the  skies.  By  some  lucky  chance, 
however,  the  parapet  from  which  the  flag  fluttered  yet 
remained  intact.  Heaps  of  debris  on  the  floor  gave 
convenient  concealment  to  the  man,  the  boy,  and  the 


30  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

two  women.  Gently  laying  down  his  burden,  Brebceuf 
knelt  behind  the  natural  barricade,  musket  in  hand. 

"  The  marquis  !  "  cried  the  girl,  who  had  been  last  to 
come  up,  "  is  he  dead  ?  " 

Brebceuf  shook  his  head. 

"  They  are  coming,  Louise  I  They  are  coming  !  " 
cried  Honore. 

After  a  momentary  glance  the  girl  dropped  to  her 
knees  by  the  side  of  the  sailor.  If  her  grandfather 
was  dead,  he  was  spared  assassination.  If  he  were  yet 
alive,  there  would  be  time  to  succor  him.  Meanwhile 
she  had  one  life  at  least  left  in  her  gun ;  another  in 
the  weapon  at  her  waist. 

The  Republicans  were  scampering  rapidly  over  the 
intervening  ground  toward  the  tower,  brandishing  their 
weapons,  and  filling  the  air  with  their  cries.  In  the 
lead  was  Jean  Garron,  who,  to  do  him  justice,  was  no 
coward.  As  he  came  within  range  Brebceuf  took  care- 
ful aim  at  him.  Fate  was  kind  to  the  Republican 
leader.  Just  as  the  Breton  pressed  the  trigger  Garron 
stumbled  and  fell.  The  man  immediately  in  his  rear 
pitched  forward  dead. 

"  You  got  them  both,  Brebceuf  !  "  screamed  Honore, 
wild  with  excitement. 

The  old  man  shook  his  head. 

"  Missed  !  "  he  growled. 

He  had  seen  Garron  scramble  to  his  feet.  He 
snatched  a  musket  from  Aurore  and  fired  again ;  an- 
other man  fell.  Now  Comte  Honore's  piece  cracked. 
Less  skilful  than  Brebceuf,  he  only  struck  his  man  in 


THE   COMTESSE   TAKES   COMMAND  31 

the  arm.  The  old  sailor  stepped  back  and  took  up  the 
marquis'  gun.  As  he  did  so  Louise  pressed  the  trigger 
of  her  musket.  Before  Brebceuf  could  fire  a  third 
time,  however,  the  roar  of  a  heavy  cannon  from  sea- 
ward burst  in  their  ears  through  the  torrent  of  shouts 
and  cries  and  crackling  musketry,  for  the  Republicans, 
as  soon  as  they  came  within  range,  had  opened  a  rapid 
small-arm  fire  on  the  tower,  which,  as  it  was  for- 
tunately aimed  at  the  lower  room,  where,  until  they 
were  undeceived,  they  supposed  the  defenders  to  be, 
had  as  yet  done  little  damage. 

Two  men  were  struck  dead  by  an  eighteen-pound  shot 
that  came  tearing  through  the  huddled  men  now  close 
by  the  tower.  Before  the  Republicans  could  recover 
from  their  consternation  at  this  extraordinary  interven- 
tion, the  first  shot  was  followed  by  a  second,  a  third,  a 
fourth.  The  last  one  dismounted  the  field-piece.  The 
ranks  of  the  assailants  halted  in  confusion,  and  at  this 
opportune  moment  Brebceuf  discharged  his  last  musket 
shot  into  the  hesitant  men.  Then,  conscious  that  if 
they  were  to  be  succored,  as  it  seemed,  it  would  not  be 
necessary  to  reserve  the  charges,  the  Breton  snatched 
the  pistol  from  Aurore's  belt,  fired  it,  received  another 
from  the  hand  of  the  young  comtesse,  and  with  it 
accounted  for  still  another  enemy. 

By  this  time  the*  Republicans  were  in  full  retreat. 
The  besieged  scarcely  realized  what  had  happened. 
That  they  were  safe  for  the  time  being  was  all  they 
knew.  So  soon  as  the  assailants  retreated  the  girl  fell 
on  her  knees  by  the  side  of  her  grandfather.  She 


32  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

wiped  the  blood  from  his  face.  Aurore  bravely  ran  to 
the  room  below  for  some  water  and  soon  the  old  man 
opened  his  eyes.  Another  shot  boomed  out  from 
seaward. 

"A  ship's  gun,"  murmured  the  marquis,  "a  heavy 
piece." 

"  A  ship,  a  ship  !  "  shouted  Honore,  who  had  run  to 
the  other  side  of  the  tower  and  was  gazing  out  to  sea. 

"  What  ship  ?  "  asked  the  old  marquis,  faintly. 

"  An  English  ship  by  the  flag,  sir.  Boats  are  putting 
off  from  her." 

"  We  are  safe,"  said  the  old  man,  "  yet  I  had  rather 
it  were  any  other  than  an  English  ship.  I  do  not  love 
the  English.  What  of  Garron  and  his  mob  ?  " 

"  They  are  running  down  to  the  river  bank,  below 
the  tower,"  cried  Honore.  "  Boats  are  pulling  for  the 
shore,"  he  continued,  turning  his  gaze  to  seaward  again. 
"  The  men  are  landing  !  They  are  fighting  !  They 
run  !  " 

"  Who  run  ?  "  asked  the  marquis. 

"  The  Republicans  !  " 

Breboeuf  had  been  busy  recharging  the  weapons.  He 
fired  them  in  rapid  succession  at  the  enemy.  One  final 
shot  gave  him  especial  satisfaction. 

"  Winged  !  "  he  cried  in  hoarse  triumph. 

"  The  English  are  mounting  the  cliff  toward  the 
tower,"  cried  Honore,  who  was  recklessly  exposing  him- 
self that  he  might  see  the  action.  At  the  same  instant 
there  was  a  battering  on  the  doors  below. 

"  I  will  go  down  and  admit  them,"  said  the  comtesse. 


THE  COMTESSE  TAKES   COMMAND  33 

"  Honore,  do  you  and  Breboauf  stay  here  and  protect 
me  with  your  guns." 

The  sailor,  who  let  no  opportunity  escape  him,  had 
again  reloaded  the  pieces.  They  were  laid  carefully  by 
his  side,  convenient  to  his  hand  should  occasion  for  use 
arise. 

"  Come,  Aurore  !  "  said  the  girl,  springing  down  the 
stair. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    CAPTAIN    OP    THE    SHIP 

HAD  the  wind  been  other  than  it  was,  the  ship  would 
have  been  perilously  near  the  land.  The  weather,  how- 
ever, was  settled,  a  steady  land  breeze  was  blowing, 
there  were  no  shoals  to  be  feared,  the  water  was  deep 
under  the  cliffs,  and  there  was  always  a  chance  for  an 
exchange  of  shots  with  a  French  battery  or  an  oppor- 
tunity to  turn  loose  a  broadside  upon  some  Republican 
camp.  Consequently  they  hugged  the  shore.  There 
was  a  little  spice  of  excitement  about  it  as  well,  some- 
thing of  a  risk,  which  was  eagerly  welcomed  to  break 
the  monotony  of  cruising.  Besides,  the  admiral  had 
instructed  them  to  do  as  much  damage  to  Republican 
ports  and  Republican  forces  along  the  coast  as  was 
possible  —  without,  of  course,  endangering  the  ship. 

That  portion  of  the  Mediterranean  littoral  along 
which  they  had  been  running  since  they  left  Naples 
was  peculiarly  gloomy,  forbidding,  and  desolate.  Back 
of  the  shore-line  rose  the  summits  of  the  towering 
mountains.  No  evidences  of  habitations  were  visible 
save  here  and  there  a  few  wretched  fishermen's  huts  in 
some  sequestered  cove  near  the  water's  edge,  or  a  rude 
huddle  of  buildings  marking  some  undefended,  insignifi- 
cant seaport  at  the  head  of  some  dangerous  estuary  of 

84 


THE   CAPTAIN   OF   THE   SHIP  35 

the  sea.  These  were  beneath  the  attention  of  the 
Agamemnon  and  her  crew. 

The  day  was  brilliantly  fair  and  although  the  season 
was  late  in  the  fall  the  air  was  mild  and  pleasant. 
Morning  quarters  and  the  consequent  inspection  had 
been  finished  some  time  before.  Some  of  the  officers 
and  men  of  the  watch  were  busy  about  the  decks  at- 
tending to  some  of  the  never  ending  details  of  a  sea- 
man's task.  Aloft  on  the  crosstrees  men  with  glasses 
in  hand  were  searching  the  shore.  Everybody  else 
who  could  was  enjoying  one  of  those  rare  and  brief 
periods  of  relaxation  which  the  discipline  sometimes 
allowed,  and  all  hands  had  apparently  abandoned  all 
thought  of  a  possible  enemy.  The  captain  paced  the 
high  poop  in  lonely  magnificence. 

The  coast  to  starboard  and  before  them  trended 
sharply  to  the  southward  in  the  shape  of  a  long,  rocky 
tongue  of  land  about  half  a  mile  ahead  of  the  ship. 
This  promontory  shut  off  the  view  in  the  direction  of 
their  present  course.  The  handsome  ship-of-the-line 
under  easy  sail  was  slowly  drawing  nearer  to  it.  The 
time  had  about  arrived  when  a  touch  of  the  helm  and  a 
pull  on  the  braces  would  be  necessary  to  swing  her 
head  away  from  the  present  course  so  that  they  could 
give  the  cape  a  wide  berth  as  they  passed  by  it  to  dis- 
cover what  lay  beyond. 

The  quiet  of  the  morning  was  broken  by  the  muffled 
report  of  a  cannon,  just  as  the  young  lieutenant  pacing 
the  quarter-deck  had  lifted  the  trumpet  to  give  a  neces- 
sary order.  As  a  spur  to  a  lagging  steed  the  noise 


36  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

instantly  awakened  every  man  on  the  ship  to  alert  at- 
tention. The  seamen  in  the  gangways  and  on  the  fore- 
castle crowded  to  the  weather  side  of  the  ship,  looking 
eagerly  in  the  direction  of  the  sound.  The  desultory 
conversation  among  the  officers  on  the  quarter-deck 
stopped ;  one  or  two  ran  for  glasses,  and  the  others  ap- 
proached nearer  to  the  windward  side,  a  place  reserved 
by  immemorial  custom  for  the  officer  of  the  watch,  as 
they  stared  and  stared  toward  the  shore.  The  watch 
officer  immediately  clambered  upon  the  weather  rail 
and,  steadying  himself  by  a  backstay,  bade  his  mid- 
shipman bring  him  a  glass,  with  which  he  swept  the 
cliffs  close  at  hand. 

Above  them  all  the  little  captain,  who  had  been  lean- 
ing listlessly  against  the  rail,  suddenly  straightened  up 
and  walked  rapidly  to  the  break  of  the  poop.  He  sur- 
veyed his  ship  for  an  instant,  a  flush  of  pride  mantling 
his  cheek.  He  had  said  that  the  Agamemnon,  although 
not  a  new  ship,  was  the  finest  sixty-four  in  the  service, 
and  certainly  he  was  a  judge. 

As  he  looked  over  her,  he  was  struck  anew  by  the 
spotless  neatness  of  her  decks,  as  clean  as  sand  and 
holystone  could  make  them;  by  the  polished  cannon, 
the  brass  work  shining  like  gold;  by  the  new  canvas, 
for  the  ship  had  been  recently  refitted,  gleaming  white 
in  the  sunlight;  by  every  rope  and  brace  and  shroud 
and  stay  in  its  proper  place,  in  all  the  delicate  tracery 
of  gear  and  rigging  which  seemed  so  complicated  to  in- 
experience and  was  so  simple  to  knowledge.  As  his 
eye  fell  upon  the  sturdy,  splendid  specimens  of  men  and 


THE  CAPTAIN   OF   THE  SHIP  37 

the  alert,  active  boys,  many  of  whom  he  had  personally 
recruited  from  among  his  neighbors  for  his  crew;  as 
his  glance  took  in  the  little  group  of  officers,  many  of 
them  destined  while  following  in  his  wake  to  attain 
fame  and  rank  only  less  great  than  his  own,  his  heart 
throbbed  with  pride.  He  was  convinced  that  he  had 
spoken  truly  when  he  claimed  perfection  for  his  ship 
and  her  people. 

At  first  glance  the  little  officer  looked  like  anything 
but  the  captain  of  the  ship.  He  was  about  five  feet  five 
inches  in  stature,  and  his  fragile,  delicate  habit  of  body 
made  him  seem  even  smaller  than  he  was.  Thin,  not 
to  say  emaciated,  with  a  pallor  in  his  face,  his  appear- 
ance gave  no  promise  whatever  of  bodily  vigor. 

He  had  taken  off  his  hat  a  moment  before  and  passed 
his  hand  across  his  brow.  Had  any  been  near  to  ob- 
serve, he  would  have  seen  a  great  mass  of  dark  hair, 
a  careless  "shock"  his  friends  called  it,  pushed  back 
from  a  noble  forehead.  His  eyes  were  deep-set  and 
hollow.  They  were  changeable  eyes,  sometimes  soft, 
melancholy,  appealing,  almost  feminine;  again  hard, 
cold,  brilliant,  almost  terrible.  His  thin  but  youthful 
face,  unhealthily  pale,  was  somewhat  marked  by  lines, 
whether  of  suffering  or  of  decision  a  casual  inspection 
could  scarcely  determine.  His  nose  was  slightly  aqui- 
line and  decidedly  strong.  His  lips  were  full  and 
pouting  and  subject  to  the  same  changes  as  his  eyes. 
Sometimes  they  entreated,  as  those  of  a  child  might 
have  done ;  at  other  times  they  straightened  and  con- 
tracted under  pressure  into  a  thin,  rigid,  resolute  line. 


38  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

There  was  not  much  humor  or  merriment  in  the  face, 
which  was  nevertheless  appealing  and  strangely  at- 
tractive. 

There  was  something  womanish  about  the  appearance 
of  the  whole  man.  That  he  was  variable,  changeable, 
whimsical,  a  shrewd  student  of  physiognomy  would 
have  instantly  divined.  That  he  was  vain,  in  a  harm- 
less, innocent  way,  and  therefore  susceptible  to  flattery, 
was  apparent.  That  he  was  sensitive,  moody,  was 
certain.  Nervousness  and  excitability  were  as  natural 
to  him  as  breathing. 

Only  the  eye  of  keen  intuition  or  wide  experience 
could  read  beneath  all  these  things  another  man. 
When  the  exigency  demanded,  the  frail  and  feeble  body 
became  suddenly  able  to  sustain  fatigues  and  endure 
nervous  strains  that  might  have  crushed  a  giant.  The 
gentle,  vehement,  half-feminine,  sensitive  nature  took 
upon  itself  characteristics  at  once  of  baresark  fury  and 
Viking  courage,  and  the  variable  hesitant  habit  gave 
place  to  a  determination  as  persistent  as  it  was  invinci- 
ble. In  the  crisis  of  danger  he  became  as  cool  in  his 
fighting  as  if  he  had  never  heard  of  nerves. 

A  creature  of  contrasts  he,  with  his  womanish  eyes, 
his  child's  lips,  and  his  lion  heart. 

To  be  a  hero  and  a  master  is  not  always  to  look  the 
one  01  the  other.  In  appearance  James  Wolfe,  to  cite 
an  instance,  was  the  homeliest  and  most  unpromising  of 
men.  Nothing  external  in  him  corresponded  to  the 
qualities  he  exhibited.  He  bore  the  outward  seeming 
of  weakness,  physical  and  mental.  Yet  a  bolder,  braver 


THE   CAPTAIN   OF   TELE  SHIP  39 

heart,  a  keener,  brighter  mind,  a  more  resolute,  deter- 
mined soul,  never  belied  the  evidence  of  frail  contain- 
ing shell. 

Like  Wolfe  the  captain  of  the  Agamemnon  looked  no 
hero,  though  no  man  could  better  claim  the  title.  He 
seemed  no  heaven-born  commander,  although  no  one 
now  questions  his  right  to  the  highest  place.  That 
other  little  officer,  he  of  Toulon,  of  Montenotte,  of 
Arcola,  of  Rivoli,  of  the  marshes  of  Mantua,  was  a  hero 
and  a  captain  and  he  looked  it.  No  one  who  saw  him 
could  mistake.  His  claim  glowed  in  his  Olympian  face. 
Once  seen  it  was  unhesitatingly  allowed.  That  was 
his  good  fortune. 

His  great  antagonist  lacked  this  outward  and  visible 
sign  of  the  qualities  that  were  within  him.  But  no 
Viking  that  ever  lorded  it  over  the  narrow  seas  had 
more  of  the  real  man  in  him  than  the  little  captain  of 
the  Agamemnon,  standing  upon  her  deck  that  sunny 
morning,  surveying  his  ship.  For  this  was  the  greatest 
man  of  his  class  that  the  world  had  ever  seen,  that  the 
world  probably  ever  shall  see,  if  it  be  not  rash  to  at- 
tempt the  prophet's  r61e. 

There  have  been  great  soldiers,  there  have  been 
great  statesmen,  there  have  been  great  scientists,  there 
have  been  great  artists,  there  have  been  great  musi- 
cians, there  have  been  great  preachers  —  differing  one 
from  another  in  glory  as  the  stars.  To  attempt  to 
place  upon  one  brow  the  acknowledged  palm  in  any 
field  of  human  supremacy  would  bring  about  endless 
discussion  and  exceeding  sharp  contention.  No  one 


40  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

can  dispute  that  the  captain  of  the  Agamemnon  was 
destined  to  become  the  first  of  those  "  that  go  down  to 
the  sea  in  ships,  that  do  business  in  great  waters." 

Not  only  because  he  was  a  thorough  sailor  ;  there 
were  others  who  in  mere  technical  seamanship  could 
have  contested  his  supremacy.  Not  only  because  he 
was  a  man  of  unbounded  courage ;  there  were  others, 
and  in  all  navies  of  the  world  there  have  been  others, 
who  would  yield  to  no  man  on  that  score.  But  be- 
cause he  manifested  on  the  sea,  in  the  performance 
of  the  various  duties  that  fell  to  him,  a  breadth  of 
mind  that  enabled  him  to  penetrate  the  most  secret 
designs  of  his  enemies  ;  an  ability  to  put  his  finger 
upon  the  weakest  spot  in  the  opposing  plan ;  a  faculty 
for  approaching  the  crucial  moment  in  the  best  possible 
way;  a  capacity  for  following  up  the  faintest  clue  ;  a 
determination  which  nothing  short  of  the  complete  de- 
struction of  his  enemies  could  satisfy;  which  marked 
him  as  unique  among  seamen  as  Alexander,  Hannibal, 
and  Napoleon  were  among  captains.  He  was  thorough 
to  the  point  of  annihilation.  Here  was  no  bluff  old 
seaman,  no  stubborn  British  bulldog,  but  a  man  of  the 
highest  science. 

All  this  he  was  at  sea.  On  shore  he  was  as  weak  as 
water,  the  prey  of  a  common,  vulgar  courtesan!  Out 
of  his  element  nothing ;  in  it  everything !  On  the 
ocean  a  god  ;  on  the  land  a  slave ! 

He  was  the  first  to  apply  the  art  of  war  to  engage- 
ments on  the  sea,  as  the  great  strategists  and  tacti- 
cians applied  it  on  the  shore.  His  combinations  and 


THE  CAPTAIN  OP  THE  SHIP  41 

manoeuvres  resembled  those  of  a  master  of  the  art  of 
war  setting  his  squadrons  and  moving  his  armies  on 
the  field.  His  cruises  were  campaigns,  his  battles 
demonstrations. 

Sea  fighting  before,  and  as  a  matter  of  fact,  for  some 
time  after,  his  time  consisted  in  bringing  two  contest- 
ing fleets  side  by  side  and  letting  them  hammer  away 
at  each  other  until  one  side  was  beaten.  Rodney  was 
never  so  astonished  in  his  life  as  when  he  pierced 
de  Grasse's  line  in  the  battle  of  the  Saints.  Howe,  the 
greatest  of  tacticians  before  him,  cannot  be  mentioned 
with  him.  St.  Vincent,  first  of  disciplinarians,  cannot 
be  considered  with  him.  We  have  to  go  back  to  the 
"  great  Lord  Hawke  "  to  establish  even  an  approximate 
standard  of  comparison,  and  even  he  fails  to  measure 
up.  Yet  all  these  were  great  captains  and  great  men. 

All  the  skill  and  strategy  in  old-fashioned  fighting 
took  place  in  the  manoeuvres  before  the  engagement, 
and  usually  there  was  but  little  of  either.  What 
there  was  generally  consisted  in  getting  and  maintain- 
ing the  weather  gage.  Such  a  thing  as  concentrating 
the  whole  upon  a  part,  striking  the  weaker  position 
with  the  stronger  force,  was  scarcely  thought  of. 
When  a  battle  was  joined,  it  was  ship  to  ship,  and  then 
"  hammer  and  tongs  "  until  one  or  the  other  gave  way. 

If  there  was  a  cardinal  principle  entrenched  in  a  sea 
officer's  mind,  it  was  that  at  all  hazards  he  was  to  pre- 
serve intact  his  line  of  battle.  Under  no  circumstances 
was  it  to  be  broken.  The  captain  of  the  Agamemnon, 
when  the  time  came,  threw  such  antiquated  notions  to 


42  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

the  winds.  He  made  his  own  tactics.  In  one  battle  he 
revolutionized  naval  warfare.  His  example,  like  Napo- 
leon's, must  be  followed,  it  cannot  be  surpassed. 

There  was  something  about  the  man  which  calls  to 
mind  one  of  those  rare  and  delicate-seeming  blades  that 
were  made  by  the  armorers  of  Damascus  and  Toledo ; 
as  flexible,  as  elastic,  as  beautiful  as  a  woman,  yet 
than  which,  in  adequate  hands,  no  weapons  have  ever 
been  so  deadly  and  so  terrible. 

But  life  and  fame  to  him  were  in  the  womb  of  the 
future.  The  captain  of  the  Agamemnon,  standing  there 
on  the  deck  of  his  own  ship,  had  not  yet  enjoyed  oppor- 
tunity to  prove  what  he  would  become,  although  the 
time  was  not  far  distant  when  the  world  would  rub  its 
eyes  and  open  them  upon  that  new  epoch  in  sea  fighting. 

And  the  name  of  the  epoch  would  be  Nelson  I 


CHAPTER  V 

ENTER   THE  AGAMEMNON 

"  MR.  NISBETT,"  said  the  captain,  quietly,  to  a  young 
bit  of  a  midshipman  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder 
leading  to  the  quarter-deck,  "  desire  Mr.  Berry  to  hail 
the  crosstrees  about  that  shot,  sir." 

The  captain's  voice  was  high-pitched  and  some- 
what sharp.  As  the  midshipman  touched  his  hat 
and  scampered  toward  the  officer  of  the  deck,  that 
functionary,  who  had  heard  the  order,  anticipated  its 
delivery,  and  in  a  voice  of  tremendous  power  hailed 
the  lookout :  — 

"  Crosstrees  there ! " 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  came  faintly  from  the  dizzy  heights 
forward  and  above  his  head. 

"  You  heard  that  shot.     Do  you  see  anything  ?  " 

"  Seems  to  come  from  yonder,  sir,"  answered  the  man, 
pointing  toward  the  headland. 

"  Ay.     But  d'ye  see  any  smoke,  man  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  your  honor." 

"  There  it  goes  again  !  "  burst  from  the  little  group 
on  the  quarter-deck,  as  the  sound  of  a  second  shot  was 
heard  faintly  in  the  still  morning. 

"  Mr.  Berry,"  said  the  captain,  speaking  directly  to 
him. 

43 


44  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"Sir?" 

"  Set  the  light  sail,  sir,  and  get  around  that  point  in 
a  hurry.  If  there  is  any  firing  going  on  I  want  to  take 
a  hand." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir.  Boatswain's  mate,  call  all  hands," 
cried  Berry. 

The  order  was  supererogatory,  for  all  hands  except 
the  mess  cooks  and  servants  were  already  on  deck. 

"  Aloft  the  light  yardmen  ! "  continued  the  officer 
of  the  deck.  "  Loose  the  royal  and  to'gallant  sails  ! 
Lead  along  the  royal  and  to'gallant  halyards  !  Man 
the  weather  braces  !  Starboard  your  helm  !  Let  fall  ! 
Sheet  home  !  Hoist  away  !  Brace  in  !  Handsomely  ! 
Steady !  " 

"  Mr.  Macartney,"  said  the  captain,  as  the  first  lieu- 
tenant of  the  ship  came  leaping  up  the  companion  way 
to  take  the  deck  at  the  call,  of  "  All  hands  !  "  as  was 
his  privilege  under  such  circumstances,  "leave  Mr. 
Berry  in  charge.  I  want  a  word  with  you." 

By  the  ready  handling  of  the  sailors  and  the  nice 
seamanship  of  Berry  the  Agamemnon  swung  to  port  and 
with  her  speed  greatly  accelerated  by  the  additional 
sail  which  had  been  set  coasted  along  the  point  at  a 
broad  angle  to  her  former  course.  As  she  ran  along 
the  shore  she  speedily  drew  abreast  the  end  of  the  prom- 
ontory. The  captain  and  first  lieutenant  were  busily 
engaged  in  conversation  on  the  poop,  but  nothing  ever 
took  the  captain's  mind  from  the  ship  he  commanded. 

"Mr.  Berry,"  he  said  presently,  "give  that  point 
yonder  a  wide  berth  before  you  brace  up.  I  don't 


ENTER   THE   AGAMEMNON  45 

know  what  sort  of  jagged  reefs  it  may  terminate   in. 
When  you  have  cleared  it  run  into  the  bay  yonder." 

It  was  quite  easy  now  from  the  position  they  had 
attained  to  see  that  the  promontory  was  the  edge  of 
what  formed  one  side  of  a  wide,  deep  bay.  As  they 
drew  swiftly  past  its  narrow  apex  they  could  see  at  the 
head  of  the  bay,  perhaps  half  a  mile  away,  a  ruined 
tower  standing  upon  a  high  cliff  on  the  very  edge  of 
the  water.  On  one  side  a  rivulet  flowed  into  the  sea 
over  a  short  stretch  of  sandy  beach.  From  the  flagstaff 
on  the  tower  a  white  flag  fluttered  gayly  in  the  breeze. 
On  one  of  the  hills  inland  a  short  distance  from  the 
tower  a  cannon  was  planted,  and  as  they  watched  it 
they  saw  a  puff  of  smoke  from  it  followed  by  another 
report.  Around  the  gun  was  a  group  of  men.  The 
glass  disclosed  that  many  of  them  were  soldiers. 

"'What  can  it  be?"  asked  the  captain.  "A  white 
flag  ?  A  surrender  ?  " 

"  I  think,  sir,"  said  Lieutenant  Macartney,  who  was 
staring  at  the  banner  through  the  glass,  "  that  it's  the 
old  flag  of  France,  the  royal  standard." 

"  Why,  so  it  is  !  "  said  the  captain,  looking  through 
the  glass  in  his  turn.  "There's  no  thought  of  sur- 
render there.  I  have  it  !  They  are  holding  the  tower 
against  those  blackguardly  Republicans  !  We'll  take 
a  hand  in  that  game.  Mr.  Macartney,  take  the  deck. 
Run  in  within  a  cable's  length  of  the  shore.  You 
needn't  anchor.  If  the  wind  holds,  we  shall  be  able 
to  heave  to.  I  will  send  off  a  boat  party  and  see  what 
we  can  do." 


46  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  I  am  to  go  in  charge  of  it,  I  suppose  ? "  asked 
Macartney. 

"  Of  course,"  answered  the  captain,  as  Macartney 
descended  the  ladder  and  received  the  trumpet  from 
Berry. 

"  Hadn't  we  better  give  them  a  shot  or  two  when  we 
get  near  enough,  sir  ?  "  asked  Macartney. 

"  Ay,"  answered  his  commander,  "  send  Berry  and  his 
division  to  the  guns.  Let  them  cast  loose  and  provide." 

The  Agamemnon  was  swiftly  approaching  the  shore 
while  this  conversation  was  taking  place.  Presently 
with  nice  seamanship  Macartney,  to  whose  judgment 
the  captain  had  left  the  determination  of  the  matter, 
headed  the  great  ship  to  a  spot  where  she  was  equally 
distant  from  the  enclosing  sides  of  the  bay  and  in  such 
position  that  she  had  a  clear  way  to  sea  and  her  natural 
drift  while  hove  to  would  be  in  that  direction.  The 
light  sails  were  furled,  the  main-yard  swung,  and  the 
ship  stopped  with  her  starboard  broadside  bearing  on 
the  shore. 

All  this  time  the  gun  on  the  hill  was  blazing  away 
at  the  tower.  No  reply  appeared  to  be  made.  There 
was  not  a  sign  of  life  about  the  tower  except  the  flag 
fluttering  bravely  from  the  staff  surmounting  it.  Just 
as  the  ship  completed  her  movements  and  came  to  a 
rest  the  watchers  on  her  decks  observed  the  men 
clustered  around  the  guns  running  toward  the  castle. 
They  were  near  enough  to  distinguish  the  shouts  of 
"Vive  la  RSpublique!  A  bas  les  aristocrats!"  which 
broke  from  the  charging  men. 


ENTER   THE   AGAMEMNON  47 

The  captain  instantly  realized  that  a  breach  had 
been  made  in  the  castle  and  that  the  assailants  were 
about  to  take  it  by  storm.  So  soon  as  the  yelling 
soldiers  came  within  range  of  the  tower,  however,  puffs 
of  smoke  followed  by  sharp  cracks  from  muskets  pro- 
truding from  loopholes  indicated  that  the  defenders 
were  alive.  Here  and  there  a  man  fell,  but  the  fire 
from  the  tower  was  so  feeble  and  so  slow  that  there 
was  no  appreciable  check  to  the  advance  of  the  mob, 
which  had  begun  to  empty  its  muskets  at  the 
defenders. 

"  We  must  stop  that !  "  said  the  captain,  quickly. 
"Mr.  Berry!" 

As  he  spoke  there  was  a  puff  of  smoke  forward  on 
the  main  deck  of  the  ship,  followed  by  the  roar  of  a 
heavy  gun.  As  the  smoke  cleared  away  they  could 
see  that  the  well-aimed  shot  had  fallen  into  the  midst 
of  the  attacking  party,  several  of  whom  it  struck  down. 
The  assailants  stopped  amazed.  The  tower  had  hidden 
the  approach  of  the  ship,  and  in  the  excitement  of  the 
charge  which  took  place  just  as  the  Agamemnon  had 
become  visible  they  had  not  marked  her  arrival. 

"  Well  done,  Berry  !  "  cried  the  captain.  "  Give 
them  another  !  " 

Other  guns  in  the  battery  were  fired.  The  French 
turned  and  fled  instantly,  seeking  concealment  behind 
the  broken  rock  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  whence  they  had 
come.  A  lucky  shot  from  the  Agamemnon  just  then  shat- 
tered the  field-piece.  Meanwhile  three  heavily  armed 
boat-crews  had  been  called  away,  and  three  of  the  ship's 


48  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

cutters  loaded  to  the  gunwales  with  seamen  and  marines 
pulled  for  the  shore. 

In  the  stern  sheet  of  the  first  and  largest  boat  was 
Lieutenant  Macartney,  who  had  command  of  the  party. 
With  him,  explaining  that  he  came  simply  as  a  visitor, 
sat  the  little  captain,  who  said  he  had  a  fancy  to  see  the 
shore.  In  truth,  when  there  was  any  fighting  going 
on  it  was  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  keep  him  out 
of  it. 

So  soon  as  the  French  perceived  the  boats  pulling 
away  from  the  ship,  their  leader,  who  seemed  to  be  a  man 
of  courage  and  not  without  address,  led  his  men  forward 
under  cover  of  the  rocks  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river  mouth  from  that  on  which  the  tower  stood. 
There  they  opened  a  hasty  and  ineffectual  musketry 
fire  upon  the  boats. 

The  men  on  the  ship-of-the-line  could  not  fire  at  the 
French  for  fear  of  hitting  their  own  men  now  close  to 
the  beach.  Indeed  it  was  not  necessary  for  them  to  do 
so,  for  as  the  first  boat  grounded  on  the  shingle  at  the 
foot  of  the  cliff  the  marines  leaped  out  and  instantly 
took  cover  on  the  bank  of  the  river  and  returned  the 
fire  of  the  French  on  the  other  side.  They  were  reen- 
forced  by  those  in  the  second  boat  and  presently  by  the 
blue-jackets  from  the  thwarts.  The  third  boat,  in  obe- 
dience to  a  signal  from  Macartney,  moved  to  port  and 
landed  her  men  in  such  a  position  as  to  take  the  French 
on  the  river  bank  in  the  rear.  Their  position  was  un- 
tenable, and  they  broke  and  fled  precipitately,  leaving 
some  of  their  number  dead  on  the  shore.  Their  line  of 


ENTEB   THE  AGAMEMNON  49 

retreat  took  them  in  easy  range  of  the  tower.  As  they 
ran,  the  garrison  thereof  opened  fire  upon  them  again. 
The  last  to  retreat  was  the  French  commander.  He 
gave  back  reluctantly,  stopping  to  shake  his  fist  in  the 
direction  of  the  tower.  The  instant  that  he  did  so  a 
well-aimed  shot  from  the  tower  struck  him  and  shattered 
his  arm.  Happy  Breboeuf  ! 

Having  cleared  the  beach  of  the  French,  Macartney 
next  moved  toward  the  castle.  The  river  mouth  had 
evidently  been  used  as  some  sort  of  a  boat-landing  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  tower,  for  there  to  the  right  was 
a  natural  flight  of  stairs  cut  in  the  stone  leading  up  the 
cliff  from  the  dilapidated  remains  of  a  wharf.  Up  this 
stairway  Macartney,  sword  in  hand,  sprang.  Close  be- 
side him  was  his  captain,  who  had,  true  to  his  statement, 
taken  no  part  in  the  operations  save  that  of  a  looker-on. 
Following  these  two  came  the  seamen.  The  marines 
were  told  off  to  cover  the  landing-place  and  protect  the 
boats  in  case  the  French  should  seek  to  reoccupy  their 
position  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  To  gain  the  top 
of  the  cliff  required  but  a  moment.  There  they  found 
themselves  fronted  by  an  enormous  door  in  the  tower. 
With  his  sword  l^t  Macartney  beat  upon  it. 

"  Open  !  "  he  cried  in  French,  which  he  spoke  per- 
fectly. "  We  bring  rescue." 

A  voice  came  faintly  through  the  thick  old  planking. 

"  Who  is  there  ?     Who  are  you  ?  " 

"Lieutenant  Robert  Macartney,  of  His  Britannic 
Majesty's  ship  Agamemnon,  and  Captain  Horatio  Nelson. 
Strange,  that  sounds  like  a  woman's  voice,"  he  said 


50  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

to  the  captain.  "  How  can  I  reassure  her  ?  Ah,  I 
have  it !  Are  you  there  ?  "  he  cried. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  voice. 

"Listen.      Vive  le  Roil     Open  the  door." 

"  In  a  moment,  monsieur." 

The  young  officer  heard  some  one  fumbling  with  the 
bolts  and  bars.  Presently  the  latter  were  drawn  and 
the  two  enormous  doors  creaked  on  their  hinges  as  some 
one  strove  to  pull  them.  No  one  thought  of  the  more 
easily  manipulated  wicket  in  the  excitement  of  the 
moment. 

"The  doors  are  unbarred,  monsieur,"  said  the  voice 
from  within,  "but  we  cannot  open  them." 

"  It  is  a  woman's  voice,  by  Jove  !  "  cried  Macartney. 
"  Stand  clear  ! "  he  shouted.  He  put  his  shoulder  to 
the  doors  and  after  a  violent  effort  forced  them  open. 
Such  was  the  strength  with  which  he  had  thrust  that 
he  almost  fell  into  the  lower  room  of  the  tower  when 
the  doors  gave  way.  Recovering  himself  as  best  he 
could  after  his  unceremonious  entrance,  Macartney 
found  himself  face  to  face  with  a  tall  slender  girl  of 
perhaps  sixteen  or  seventeen  years  of  age. 

She  was  dressed  in  a  short-waisted,  short-skirted 
gown  of  blue.  Around  her  neck  was  a  fichu  of  white. 
Her  head,  which  was  crowned  by  a  mass  of  golden  hair 
in  slightly  disordered  condition,  was  bare.  There  was 
a  smudge  of  powder  on  her  face.  In  her  hand  she 
clasped  a  musket.  Behind  her  stood  another  girl  of 
about  the  same  age  but  of  a  coarser  and  more  vigorous 
build.  She  was  dressed  like  the  first  save  that  her 


ENTER  THE  AGAMEMNON  51 

clothing  was  of  plainer  material.  She  also  carried  a 
musket. 

"  Mademoiselle,"  said  the  startled  lieutenant,  taking 
all  in  in  one  swift  glance,  "  where  is  the  garrison  of  the 
tower  ?  " 

"  The  tower  is  held  by  my  grandfather,  my  brother, 
our  two  servants,  and  myself,  monsieur." 

"  And  your  grandfather  ?  " 

"Is  wounded  ;  my  brother,  a  boy,  attends  him  upstairs. 
The  other  servant  keeps  watch  toward  the  camp.  We 
are  the  rest." 

"  Your  name,  mademoiselle  ?  " 

The  girl  bowed  gravely  toward  him. 

"  I  am  the  Comtesse  de  Vaudemont,"  she  said. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  VICE-ADMIRAL   GOES   ABOARD 

"  FAITH,  mademoiselle,"  said  Macartney,  smiling  at 
her  —  and  indeed  she  was  fair  enough  to  bring  a  smile 
to  any  man's  lips  at  the  sight  of  her,  especially  if  he  was 
an  Irishman  —  "  you  must  pardon  us  for  the  abrupt  way 
in  which  we  precipitated  ourselves  into  your  presence." 

"You  came  in  the  very  nick  of  time,  messieurs." 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  that.  What  is  the  cause  of  the 
trouble  ?  " 

"  I  am  —  at  least,  we  are  for  the  King.  My  grand- 
father, the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont  —  " 

"Is  your  grandfather  the  Vice-admiral  de  Vaude- 
mont ?  " 

"  Yes,  monsieur." 

"  I  know  who  he  is.  I  was  a  midshipman  under 
Admiral  Hughes  in  the  West  Indies  a  dozen  }rears  ago. 
I  fought  against  him.  Mademoiselle,  you  are  honored 
in  your  ancestry." 

"  I  have  always  known  that,  sir,"  answered  the  young 
woman,  proudly,  "  my  father,  Comte  Honore  de  Vaude- 
mont, Capitaine  de  Vaisseau,  was  recently  beheaded  by 
the  Republicans.  My  grandfather  and  his  servant  — 
our  one  remaining  servant,  monsieur  —  got  my  brother 
and  myself  out  of  La  Conciergerie.  We  were  escaping 

62 


THE   VICE-ADMIRAL   GOES   ABOARD  53 

from  France.  This  ruined  tower  belonged  to  the  de 
Vaudemonts,  it  is  the  last  of  our  possessions.  A  cap- 
tain of  the  French  Navy,  formerly  an  insubordinate 
sailor  whom  my  grandfather  once  punished,  followed 
us  here.  We  have  held  the  tower  until  to-day.  You 
came  at  the  right  moment,  messieurs.  My  father 
fought  against  the  English.  We  do  not  love  them,  but 
I  am  not  unmindful  that  we  owe  our  lives  to  you." 

"  I  am  not  an  Englishman,  comtesse,"  returned  the 
young  man,  promptly. 

"  How,  monsieur  !     You  are —  " 

"An  Irishman,  mademoiselle." 

"  'Tis  the  same  thing,  sir. " 

"  Sure  an'  if  you  said  that  an  Ireland,  God  bless  her, 
you'd  find  that  it  wasn't  at  all  !  "  replied  Macartney 
with  a  smile  upon  his  handsome  face.  "  Some  day  I 
should  be  happy  to  prove  it  to  you,"  he  added  auda- 
ciously, but  fortunately  she  did  not  comprehend.  She 
had  other  things  to  think  of  then,  anyway. 

"  Monsieur,  is  there  a  surgeon  with  you  ?  "  she  asked 
eagerly. 

"  Yes,  on  the  beach  attending  to  some  of  our  men 
who  were  wounded." 

"I  should  like  him  to  look  at  my  grandfather." 

"  Certainly,  mademoiselle.  Mr.  Nisbett !  Pass  the 
word  for  Dr.  Scott  to  come  here  as  soon  as  he  can." 

"  Now,  Macartney,"  said  the  captain,  who  had  been  a 
silent  but  fidgety  spectator,  "  what  has  this  amazingly 
pretty  girl  been  saying  to  you  ?  I  have  been  studying 
French  for  five  years,  and,  damn  me,  I  can't  make  out 


54:  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

more  than  half  a  dozen  words  in  an  hour's  conversation  ! 
What's  all  this  ruction  about,  anyway  ?  Who  are  these 
people  and  what  do  they  want  ?  We  can't  stay  here  all 
day,  you  know.  I  believe  the  sight  of  a  petticoat 
would  make  men  forget  —  " 

The  young  girl's  face  flushed  a  beautiful  crimson  at 
this  blunt  speech  from  the  captain  of  the  Agamemnon. 

"  Monsieur,"  she  said  to  Macartney  in  French,  staring 
at  the  little  captain,  "  who  is  this  person  ?  " 

"  '  This  person,' "  laughed  the  lieutenant,  "  has  the 
honor  to  be  the  captain  of  the  ship  that  has  had  the 
good  fortune  to  rescue  you." 

"  Sir,"  said  the  young  woman  in  perfect  English,  turn- 
ing to  Nelson  as  she  spoke,  "  I  do  not  love  the  English, 
but  I  speak  their  language.  I  thank  you,  sir  —  I 
understand  all  you  said  —  I  thank  you  for  the  compli- 
ment you  have  paid  me.  'Tis  evidently  as  sincere  as 
it  is  frank." 

Nelson  flushed  like  a  schoolboy  as  he  bowed  with 
much  embarrassment. 

"  I  wonder,"  he  muttered  to  himself,  "  why  a  man 
will  be  such  a  fool  as  to  be  certain  that  no  one  speaks 
his  language  but  himself.  Mademoiselle,"  he  said 
aloud,  "  I  speak  truly,  though  I  did  not  intend  —  ah  — 
in  short,  I  am  glad  to  have  been  of  service  to  you.  Ah, 
Dr.  Scott,  there  is  a  wounded  man  upstairs  —  a  French 
naval  officer.  Do  what  you  can  for  him.  Now,  made- 
moiselle, what  can  we  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  We  desire  to  escape  from  this  place.  Can  you  take 
us  away  on  your  ship  ?  " 


THE   VICE-ADMIRAL   GOES   ABOARD  55 

"  By  Jove,  sir,  she'll  be  after  having  the  whole  ship's 
company  in  love  with  her  if  you  do  !  "  said  Macartney, 
under  his  breath. 

"  Certainly  I  can  and  will,"  answered  Nelson, 
promptly. 

"  And  will  you  land  us  in  Italy  ?  " 

"Not  that,  I  am  afraid." 

"  Whither  are  you  bound,  sir  ?  " 

"Toulon." 

"  Toulon  !  " 

"  Yes.  Have  you  not  heard  ?  Toulon  has  declared 
for  King  Louis  XVII  and  the  Regent.  An  English 
fleet  under  Vice-admiral  Lord  Hood  has  already  taken 
possession  of  the  harbor.  The  Agamemnon,  my  ship 
yonder,  is  a  part-jrf  that  fleet.  You  will  be  perfectly 
safe  there.  Hullo  !  What's  this  ?  " 

"  This  "  was  the  silent  Brebceuf  supporting  in  his 
arms  the  slighter  form  of  the  marquis.  Fortunately  the 
old  man  had  sustained  no  permanent  injury.  His  head, 
which  had  been  badly  cut,  was  bound  in  a  cloth.  He 
looked  a  little  paler  than  usual  and  had  lost  much  blood, 
but  was  quite  his  vivacious  imperturbable  self  again. 

"  This,"  whispered  Macartney,  "  will  be  the  Marquis 
de  Vaude*mont.  The  French  vice-admiral,  you  know, 
sir." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  returned  Nelson,  sotto  vdce,  "  a  shipmate 
of  de  Suffren,  you  said,  and  he  was  one  of  the  few  great 
seamen  that  France  has  produced.  Sir,"  he  said  in 
English  to  the  marquis,  "  do  you  understand  the  Eng- 
lish language  ?  " 


56  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  I  do,  sir,"  answered  the  marquis,  speaking  with  no 
less  precision  than  his  granddaughter.  "  I  have  learned 
the  English  tongue  from  the  lips  of  women  and  the 
defiance  of  men.  I  have  heard  the  language  spoken 
by  your  guns." 

"You  gave  as  good  as  we  sent,  sir,"  said  Nelson, 
politely.  Like  most  English  seamen  of  his  time,  col- 
lectively he  hated  the  French,  individually  many  of 
them  won  his  respect  and  affection.  "I  am  honored 
at  meeting  such  a  distinguished  officer  of  the  Royal 
Marine  of  France.  My  ship  is  at  your  service.  I  am 
Captain  Nelson.  We  are  going  to  Toulon  • —  " 

"  Toulon  !  "  exclaimed  the  noble. 

"  Yes.  Do  you  not  know?  It  has  declared  for  your 
King." 

"  Thank  God  that  loyalty  is  not  everywhere  dead  in 
France  !  "  exclaimed  the  marquis. 

"Lord  Hood  with  a  fleet  of  twenty-two  English 
ships-of-the-line  and  Vice-admiral  de  Langara  with 
seventeen  Spanish  are  in  the  harbor.  The  Repub- 
licans are  besieging  it,  but  the  place  is  impregnable. 
Shall  we  have  the  honor  of  taking  you  there  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  yes.  I  could  ask  nothing  better  than  this 
—  to  be  in  a  position  to  strike  a  blow  for  King  Louis 
XVII,  God  bless  him  !  " 

"  How  many  are  in  your  party,  sir  ?  " 

"  What  you  see,  Captain  Nelson.  My  granddaughter, 
the  Comtesse  de  Vaudemont "  —  Nelson  bowed  deferen- 
tially, while  the  comtesse  dropped  him  a  sweeping  cour- 
tesy —  "  her  foster-sister,  my  servant  Breboeuf,  and  —  " 


THE   VICE-ADMIRAL   GOES   ABOARD  57 

He  lifted  his  voice  —  "  Honore,  you  may  withdraw  from 
your  post  now.  My  grandson,  Comte  Honore  de 
Vaudemont,  Captain  Nelson,"  he  continued,  as  the  boy 
made  his  appearance.  "  My  son  has  died  like  his  King, 
on  the  scaffold  a  few  weeks  since,  sir." 

"  I  gathered  as  much,"  said  Nelson,  lifting  his  hat. 
"  Sir,  you  have  my  sympathy.  Yet  'tis  a  brave  death." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  marquis,  gravely.  "  His 
Majesty  did  not  lack  gentlemen  to  bear  him  company 
even  to  the  guillotine." 

"  Monsieur,"  interrupted  his  granddaughter,  "  this 
gentleman  led  the  attacking  party  which  rescued  us. 
His  name  is — " 

"  Robert  Macartney,  Monsieur  le  Marquis,"  answered 
Macartney  in  his  perfect  French,  "an  English  naval 
officer,  first  lieutenant  on  the  Agamemnon,  but,  harkee, 
born  an  Irishman,  sir." 

"  There  have  been  many  Irish  gentlemen  in  the 
Marine  of  France,  sir,"  said  the  marquis,  smiling. 

"  Yes,  monsieur.  You  will  always  find  them  where 
there  is  fighting  and  love-making  going  on." 

"  There  will  be  plenty  of  fighting  but  little  of  the 
latter  in  France,  sir,"  said  the  marquis.  "  I  am  pleased 
to  make  your  acquaintance,  sir." 

"Ay,  Macartney,"  said  Nelson,  who  was  following 
the  conversation  but  with  some  difficulty,  "  you  did 
the  thing  handsomely.  I  was  simply  a  volunteer,  my 
lord.  I  did  not  interfere  with  his  plans.  I  shall  re- 
port his  actions  to  Lord  Hood  at  Toulon.  Now,  sir, 
have  you  anything  to  take  with  you  ?  " 


58 

"  Only  these  portmanteaux,"  said  the  marquis,  point- 
ing to  his  mails. 

"Macartney,  will  you  see  them  safely  aboard  the 
boats?  This  way,  sir."  He  offered  the  old  man  his 
hand. 

"  Mademoiselle,"  said  Macartney,  after  directing  some 
of  his  blue-jackets  to  take  the  luggage,  "  allow  me." 
He  offered  her  his  hand,  which  she  instantly  accepted. 
"  Fighting  in  France,"  he  murmured  half  to  himself  as 
they  descended  the  stairs,  "  there's  sure  to  be  that  in 
plenty.  Love-making  in  France,"  he  continued,  "  well, 
I  am  not  so  certain  as  to  that,  but  if  I  know  anything 
about  it  there'll  be  plenty  on  the  Agamemnon  and  Rob- 
ert Macartney  will  do  his  share." 

When  they  arrived  on  the  little  stretch  of  sand 
Captain  Nelson  called  Macartney  to  him  and  after  a 
brief  conversation  in  a  low  tone  that  officer  despatched 
one  of  his  boats  to  the  ship  in  advance  of  the  other  two 
with  a  command  to  Berry  the  ranking  officer  left  on 
board.  It  took  some  little  time  to  complete  the  prepa- 
rations for  embarking  the  party.  There  were  two  or 
three  wounded  English  seamen  and  one  poor  fellow  who 
had  been  shot  dead  by  the  French  who  had  to  be  care- 
fully arranged  for. 

Bidding  Macartney  turn  over  the  command  of  the 
two  remaining  cutters  to  Lieutenant  Frazier,  the  Aga- 
memnon 8  fourth,  who  had  accompanied  the  expedi- 
tion, the  captain  took  the  vice-admiral,  his  grandson 
and  granddaughter  and  Macartney  in  the  stern  sheets 
of  his  gig,  which  had  been  sent  to  the  shore  after 


THE    VICE-ADMIRAL   GOES   ABOARD  59 

him.  Breboeuf  and  Aurore,  with  the  marquis'  baggage, 
found  room  forward  in  one  of  the  cutters.  The  two 
cutters  stopped  a  short  distance  from  the  shore,  and  the 
marines  they  carried  presented  their  pieces  and  covered 
the  departure  of  the  gig,  which  was  the  last  boat  to 
leave  the  foot  of  the  tower.  The  Republicans  had 
been  so  thoroughly  surprised  and  had  suffered  such  a 
severe  loss,  taken  in  connection  with  Breboeuf  s  lucky 
shot  which  had  broken  Garron's  arm,  that  the  party 
was  permitted  to  embark  unmolested. 

As  the  gig  slowly  made  its  way  to  the  ship  in  the 
wake  of  the  other  boats,  the  marquis  stared  silently 
back  toward  the  shore.  Accustomed  as  he  was  and  as 
was  his  class  to  conceal  the  deepest  emotions  in  an 
affectation  of  nonchalance  and  indifference,  no  one  but 
his  granddaughter  realized  his  feelings  as  he  quitted 
Provence  and  his  ancestral  home,  at  least  all  that  was 
left  of  that  domain  which  his  people  had  enjoyed  so 
long.  He  was  leaving  it  forever,  and  some  premonition 
of  that  fact  seemed  to  weigh  upon  him.  He  sat  in  a 
deep  revery,  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  old  tower 
which  had  so  nearly  witnessed  the  extinction  of  his 
race.  Nelson,  with  his  feminine  quickness  of  percep- 
tion, comprehended  everything  that  was  passing  in  his 
guest's  mind  and  at  first  forbore  to  disturb  him. 

The  Republicans  had  seized  the  tower  when  they 
could  safely  do  so,  and  as  the  old  man  gazed  upon  it  a 
thin  column  of  smoke  curled  above  the  broken  parapet 
whence  before  their  departure  young  Honore  had 
taken  the  cherished  flag. 


60  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  The  villains  have  set  fire  to  the  tower  at  last,"  said 
the  little  captain,  following  the  other's  glance,  and 
breaking  the  silence  that  was  becoming  somewhat  un- 
comfortable ;  "  was  it  yours,  my  lord  ?  " 

"  The  last  holding  of  my  house.  'Tis  a  poor  rem- 
nant of  former  ease  and  comfort,  yet  it  sheltered  me 
well  in  time  of  need,"  answered  the  marquis,  slowly. 

"  I  will  have  a  few  shot  thrown  among  them  when 
we  reach  the  ship.  Perhaps  that  will  stop  them." 

"  Not  so,  sir,"  said  the  marquis.  "  Leave  it  to  the 
fire.  I  had  rather  it  were  consumed  in  the  flames  than 
that  it  should  give  shelter  to  the  enemies  of  France." 

"  Yet  they  are  French,  marquis,"  said  Nelson, 
curiously. 

"  They  are  the  enemies  of  the  King,  and  with  me, 
sir,  the  King  is  France." 

The  little  captain  bowed  his  head  ;  that  was  a  creed 
he  could  understand. 

By  this  time  the  gig  shot  alongside  the  accommoda- 
tion ladder,  which  had  been  hastily  rigged  for  the  con- 
venience of  the  women,  and  Nelson  motioned  to  the 
marquis  to  precede  him  to  the  deck.  The  officers, 
in  full-dress  uniforms,  wearing  swords,  were  lined 
up  abaft  the  gangway  ;  the  seamen  stood  at  quarters 
in  the  waist ;  on  the  quarter-deck  the  marines  were 
drawn  up  in  orderly  ranks.  The  boatswain  and  his 
mates  with  a  full  complement  of  side-boys  stood  ready 
to  receive  the  marquis.  As  he  set  foot  on  the  deck, 
touching  his  hat  to  the  flag,  the  boatswain  and  his 
mates  trilled  their  silver  calls  —  piping  the  side,  the 


THE   VICE-ADMIRAL   GOES   ABOARD  6l 

ceremony  was  called  —  the  marines  presented  arms, 
the  drums  ruffled,  and  forward  the  first  gun  of  a  vice- 
admiral's  salute  went  thundering  over  the  still  waters 
of  the  bay.  Nelson,  through  Macartney,  had  given 
orders  to  Berry  that  the  old  admiral  was  to  be  received 
with  every  ceremony  befitting  his  rank,  and  this  was 
the  result. 

The  face  of  the  old  man  beamed  with  pleasure.  His 
lassitude  and  languor  vanished.  He  was  really  startled 
out  of  his  indifference.  He  held  himself  very  straight, 
stepped  proudly,  and  brought  his  thin  white  old  hand 
to  his  chapeau  as  an  acknowledgment  of  the  handsome 
salute.  His  other  hand  instinctively  fastened  itself 
upon  the  hilt  of  his  sword.  It  was  a  pretty  scene  and 
the  little  attention  touched  the  old  sailor  deeply.  He 
sniffed  the  rolling  cloud  of  smoke  and  the  acrid  familiar 
smell  of  the  burning  powder  with  animation  and 
pleasure. 

"Sir,"  he  said,  turning  to  Nelson,  whose  fine  eyes 
and  mobile  countenance  reflected  the  pleasure  in  the 
face  of  his  guest,  "  this  is  most  handsome  of  you  —  to 
receive  me,  an  old  man,  an  exile,  an  officer  without  a 
commission,  with  all  the  honors  of  my  rank  and  station. 
I  shall  tell  my  King,  if  please  God  I  ever  see  him  again. 
I  never  thought  I  should  tread  the  deck  of  a  war-ship 
like  this." 

"  Sir,"  replied  Nelson,  bowing,  "  you  are  very  welcome 
to  the  Agamemnon.  England  pays  homage  to  valor 
and  courage  even  in  the  person  of  her  enemies.  I 
should  like  nothing  better,  sir,  than  to  meet  you  in  a 


62  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

different  guise,  with  your  flag  flying  at  the  head  of  a 
brave  squadron,  and  I,  if  so  be  I  should  ever  attain  the 
rank,  with  one  to  match,  that  we  might  try  the  wager 
of  battle  as  our  forefathers  have  done." 

The  eyes  of  the  marquis  flashed.  He  threw  back  his 
head. 

"  You  could  wish  me  no  better  wish,  Sir  Englishman, 
than  that." 

"  But  for  the  present,"  went  on  Nelson,  "  we  are 
allies.  The  ship  is  yours,  sir.  Gentlemen,"  he  added, 
turning  to  his  officers,  "  I  present  you  to  the  companion 
of  Admiral  de  Suffren,  Vice-admiral  de  Vaudemont,  of 
the  Royal  Navy  of  France." 

"  Don't  forget  the  young  lady,  sir,"  whispered  Ma- 
cartney, who  stood  close  by. 

No  one  was  more  beloved  by  his  subordinates  and  no 
one  ever  permitted  his  subordinates  more  liberty  with- 
out in  the  least  impairing  either  their  efficiency  or  their 
discipline  than  Nelson.  Therefore  Macartney  spoke 
without  hesitation. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Nelson.  "  And,  gentlemen,  allow 
me  to  present  you  to  the  Comtesse  de  Vaudemont  and 
Comte  Honore  de  Vaudemont  her  brother,  with  your 
permission,  Admiral.  I  said,  mademoiselle,  that  the 
ship  was  your  grandfather's,  but  in  truth,  if  I  know 
anything  about  it,  if  I  am  able  to  estimate  the  prob- 
able opinions  of  my  officers,  I  am  afraid  you  will  be 
in  command  rather  than  either  of  us.  We  are  all  at 
your  service." 

The  young  woman  courtesied  deeply  while  the  gentle- 


THE  VICE-ADMIEAL   GOES   ABOARD  63 

men  of  the  ship  bowed  profoundly  before  her.  Her 
appearance  indeed  created  much  more  of  a  sensation 
than  that  of  the  marquis.  Those  brave  sailors  could 
see  vice-admirals  any  day.  A  woman  like  Louise  de 
Vaudemont  was  a  rarity  at  any  time.  Nelson  spoke 
truly.  From  the  moment  she  stepped  upon  the  deck 
the  whole  ship  with  its  officers  and  men  would  belong 
to  her  and  her  only. 

"  Three  cheers,  men ! "  cried  Macartney  at  this 
juncture,  "  for  Vice-admiral  de  Vaudemont !  " 

Then  might  be  witnessed  the  unusual  sight  of  the 
men  on  a  British  ship  cheering  an  officer  of  her  ancient 
enemy.  Nelson  smiled  as  the  cheer  ended  in  a  tiger, 
and  then  invited  the  marquis  and  his  granddaughter  to 
share  his  cabin. 

"Mr.  Nisbett,"  he  said  to  that  young  man,  "my 
stepson,  Admiral,"  he  continued,  "will  take  care  of 
the  young  comte  in  the  steerage.  He  will  be  happier 
there,  I  imagine,  than  in  the  cabin.  Your  servant 
will  quarter  with  you.  Swing  the  main-yard,  Mr. 
Macartney,  and  set  the  watch.  My  lord,  I  hope  to 
land  you  at  Toulon  by  day  after  to-morrow  at  the 
furthest." 


BOOK  II 
TOULON 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  FAMILY   OF  DE   VAUDtMONT 

THE  family  of  de  Vaudemont,  like  that  of  de  Barras, 
was  as  old  as  the  rocks  of  Provence ;  yet  they  were 
not  originally  of  that  section  of  France.  When  the 
beautiful  and  charming  Louise  de  Vaudemont  married 
King  Henri  III,  the  last  of  the  Valois,  that  monarch 
had,  as  was  natural  in  view  of  his  marital  ties,  ex- 
tended his  fortunes  to  various  members  of  the  family 
of  his  devoted  wife.  That  she  was  devoted  to  Henri  III 
shows  that  there  was  some  good  after  all  in  that  poor 
miserable  simulacrum  of  a  king.  That  he  chose  her  from 
many  others  for  his  wife  also  confirms  that  supposition. 

Among  the  younger  branches  of  the  family  which  he 
distinguished  with  his  royal  favor  was  one  upon  which 
high  rank  was  eventually  bestowed  and  to  which  large 
domains  were  granted  in  the  extreme  southeastern 
corner  of  France,  in  the  county  of  Provence,  said 
favors  being  conferred  for  loyal  devotion  and  corre- 
sponding services.  It  was  from  this  sept  that  the  pres- 
ent marquis  sprang.  In  the  course  of  years  the  other 
branches  of  the  family  had  all  died  out.  Henri  and 
Louise  had  no  children,  and  by  degrees  all  the  honors, 
prescribed  and  otherwise,  of  the  noble  and  princely  de 
Vaudemonts  fell  to  the  Provencal  branch. 

67 


68  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

Living  in  sight  and  sound  of  the  sea  the  de 
Vaudemonts  had  gradually  elected  to  bear  arms  in  the 
service  of  the  King  in  the  Navy  of  France.  From 
father  to  son  for  several  generations  they  had  been 
sailors.  The  traditional  policy  of  France  had  long 
been  antagonistic  to  England.  None  felt  that  an- 
tagonism more  bitterly  than  those  who  fought  her  on 
the  sea.  In  the  long  roll  of  maritime  engagements 
France  had  generally  suffered  at  the  hands  of  her 
rivals.  Once  in  a  while,  however,  a  great  French  sea 
captain  rose  and  by  his  talents  turned  the  wavering 
scale  of  battle  the  other  way. 

Among  such  men  was  the  Bailli  de  Suffren,  Vice- 
admiral  of  France.  His  campaign,  for  by  that  term 
it  is  usually  described,  in  the  East  Indies  in  1782, 
against  Sir  Edward  Hughes,  in  which  he  outsailed, 
outgeneralled  and  outfought  his  English  antagonist  in 
no  less  than  five  distinct  desperate  and  bloody  battles, 
stands  almost  unique  in  the  history  of  naval  warfare. 
It  placed  de  Suffren  at  the  very  summit  of  his  profes- 
sion in  any  navy.  Had  he  survived  until  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  had  he  consented  to  assume  command  of  the 
French  fleet,  some  chapters  of  history,  almost  unthink- 
able otherwise,  might  have  had  to  be  rewritten. 

One  of  his  greatest  captains,  the  best  of  them,  had 
been  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont.  Indeed  the  success 
of  de  Suffren  had  been  largely  due  to  the  able  second- 
ing he  received  from  this,  his  most  trusted  subordinate. 
This  had  been  recognized  at  court ;  and  upon  the  un- 
timely death  of  the  great  seaman  ten  years  before,  de 


THE  FAMILY  OF  DE  VAUDEMONT        69 

Vaudemont,  who  had  already  been  promoted  to  be  a 
rear-admiral,  was  made  de  Suffren's  successor  as  vice- 
admiral  of  the  Royal  Navy  of  France,  the  rank  he  at 
present  enjoyed. 

The  long  period  of  peace  had  given  the  Marquis  de 
Vaudemont  no  opportunity  of  distinguishing  himself. 
The  Revolution  had  found  him,  as  could  scarcely  have 
been  otherwise,  a  stanch  and  devoted  adherent  of  the 
King.  He  had  been  stripped  of  his  dignities  and  rank 
by  the  Republic;  he  had  been  proscribed  and  con- 
demned to  death.  Fortunately  his  place  of  conceal- 
ment was  not  discovered  by  his  enemies.  His  vast 
estates  had  been  confiscated,  his  hotel  in  Paris  and  his 
chateau  at  Vaudemont  had  been  sacked  and  gutted, 
and  he  found  himself  in  his  old  age  an  outlaw,  and 
practically  a  penniless  exile  at  that. 

These  were  not  the  worst  of  his  misfortunes.  In  the 
frightful  days  of  the  Septembrists,  after  the  death  of 
the  King,  his  son,  Capitaine  de  Vaisseau  in  the  Royal 
Navy,  had  been  arrested,  found  guilty  of  being  con- 
cerned in  a  plot  to  rescue  Queen  Marie  Antoinette, 
and  had  been  promptly  guillotined.  Returning  to 
Paris  in  disguise  the  old  vice-admiral  had  risked  his 
life  in  vain  efforts  to  save  his  son.  He  had  -succeeded, 
through  the  expenditure  of  the  last  vestige  of  means 
that  remained  to  him  from  the  wreck  of  his  once 
magnificent  fortune,  in  securing  the  liberty  of  his 
granddaughter  and  grandson.  By  the  aid  of  Brebceuf 
and  Aurore  he  had  hurried  these  two  young  people 
from  Paris  to  the  coast  of  Provence,  where  he  had 


70  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

arranged  a  boat  should  meet  him  which  should  convey 
his  party  to  Italy,  then  in  the  grasp  of  the  Austrian 
armies  at  war  with  the  Republic. 

One  Jean  Garron,  a  former  peasant  on  the  marquis' 
estate,  who  had  followed  his  master's  fortunes  on  the 
sea,  and  who  had  proved  himself  a  reckless,  insubordi- 
nate, not  to  be  trusted  sailor,  and  whom  the  marquis  had 
caused  to  be  well  flogged  at  the  gangway  on  occasion, 
had  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Republic ;  and,  as  he  was 
a  man  of  some  ability  and  courage  and  utterly  without 
bowels  of  compassion,  he  had  speedily  made  himself  an 
important  member  of  the  famous  Jacobin  party,  which 
at  that  time  swayed  the  destinies  of  France.  He  had 
actually  been  a  member  of  the  convention  which  had 
sentenced  and  executed  the  King. 

On  account  of  his  previous  sea  service  he  had  sub- 
sequently sought  and  received  an  appointment  in  the 
French  Navy  as  captain,  a  post  he  was  totally  unfitted 
in  any  way  to  fill.  In  that  situation,  however,  he  was 
not  alone.  All  the  ranking  officers  of  the  old  French 
Navy  belonged  to  the  nobility.  Almost  without  excep- 
tion they  had  resigned  their  commissions  and  had  fled 
the  country.  The  Republic  was  obliged  to  find  officers 
where  it  could. 

Garron  was  the  most  bitter  and  unscrupulous  perse- 
cutor of  the  family  of  the  marquis.  He  pursued  them 
partly  because  of  his  intense  hatred  of  the  old  man,  but 
more  for  another  reason.  He  had  conceived  a  passion 
for  the  beautiful  daughter  of  the  house  and  wanteij  to 
marry  her.  His  wooing,  as  we  have  seen,  had  been  a 


THE  FAMILY   OF   DE  VAUD^MONT  71 

rough  one,  and  he  had  totally  failed  up  to  the  present. 
He  was  an  indomitable  man,  however,  and  had  not  even 
yet  despaired. 

The  political  party  which  at  first  dominated  the  Revo- 
lution had  been  the  Girondists.  They  were  not  suffi- 
ciently violent  to  suit  the  Jacobins,  however,  and  the 
latter  constantly  growing  stronger  had  assumed  the 
reins  of  government  by  forcibly  dispossessing  the  Giron- 
dists and  putting  many  of  them  to  death.  Robespierre 
and  Danton  were  in  control  of  the  Jacobins. 

Against  the  excesses  of  these  inhuman  monsters 
the  Girondists  revolted.  xLyons,  Marseilles,  and  Tou- 
lon espoused  their  cause.  By  the  middle  of  1793  the 
whole  of  Provence  was  in  rebellion  against  the  con- 
vention. Indeed  there  was  an  earnest  desire  among 
the  politicians  of  that  county  to  cut  themselves  off 
from  Jacobin  France  and  make  a  separate  Republic 
out  of  ancient  Provence. 

The  Royalists,  seizing  the  opportunity,  made  common 
cause  with  the  Girondists  in  the  rebellion  against  the 
Republic,  trusting  that  events  might  so  shape  them- 
selves that  the  son  of  Louis  XVI,  who  was  then  drag- 
ging out  a  miserable  and  pitiable  existence  under  the 
brutal  restraints  of  the  convention,  might  be  proclaimed 
King.  With  Provence  and  La  Vendee  an  important 
section  of  France  would  be  gained  to  their  cause. 

The  Jacobins  had  not  been  idle.  Lyons  had  been 
overwhelmed  by  the  Republican  force  after  a  vigorous 
and  desperate  defence,  and  the  convention  had  decreed 
that  it  should  be  razed  to  the  ground,  that  a  pillar 


72  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

should  be  erected  bearing  this  significant  legend, 
"  Lyons  opposed  liberty,  Lyons  is  no  more  !  "  Marseilles 
had  also  been  taken,  and  after  its  capture  the  Republic 
had  been  disgraced  by  wholesale  butcheries  and  mas- 
sacres of  the  most  atrocious  character.  Toulon  and 
La  Vendee  still  held  out. 

Toulon  was  the  greatest  naval  depot  in  France. 
Within  its  capacious  basins  were  assembled  thirty 
odd  ships-of-the-line,  the  flower  of  the  French  Navy, 
with  many  frigates,  store-ships,  transports,  etc.  It 
was  defended  by  formidable  fortifications  which  en- 
closed docks,  storehouses,  shipyards,  and  all  the  com- 
ponents of  a  great  naval  establishment.  Its  harbor 
was  inaccessible  to  an  enemy  from  the  sea.  It  was 
equally  difficult  of  access  from  the  landward  side  on 
account  of  the  mountainous  character  of  the  sur- 
rounding country.  The  Republican  army,  flushed  by 
its  triumphs  and  massacres  at  Lyons  and  Marseilles, 
had  advanced  against  it  and  had  invested  it,  where- 
upon those  who  had  assumed  authority  within  its 
walls  promptly  notified  Lord  Hood,  the  English  com- 
mander-in-chief  in  the  Mediterranean,  to  come  to  their 
succor  and  take  possession  of  the  town  in  the  name  of 
the  King  of  France. 

England  and  France  had  been  at  war  since  February. 
Hood,  who  was  one  of  the  great  naval  captains  of  the 
age,  instantly  availed  himself  of  this  invitation.  As 
practically  the  whole  civilized  world  was  in  arms  against 
the  Republic,  his  own  fleet  of  over  fifty  sail,  including 
twenty-three  of  the  line,  was  presently  reenforced  in 


THE  FAMILY  OF   DE   VAUD^MONT  73 

the  harbor  of  Toulon  by  seventeen  Spanish  and  five 
Neapolitan  ships-of-the-line.  A  large  garrison  of  regu- 
lar troops  from  the  English,  Spanish,  and  Neapolitan 
forces  was  hastily  thrown  into  the  place  and  prepara- 
tions made  for  an  active  defence. 

Nelson,  possessing  in  the  Agamemnon  one  of  the  fast- 
est of  the  capital  ships,  had  been  sent  to  the  Neapolitan 
Court  to  ask  soldiers  for  the  garrison  and  was  returning 
from  that  errand  when  he  fell  in  with  the  marquis  and 
his  party. 

Affairs  in  France  were  in  a  state  of  hopeless  con- 
fusion. Dumouriez,  by  his  lucky  victory  at  Jemappes 
in  the  north,  had  temporarily  saved  her  from  invasion, 
but  all  the  European  nations  in  arms  were  gathering 
menacingly  upon  her  every  frontier. 

There  had  as  yet  risen  no  force,  or  power,  or  indi- 
vidual strong  enough  to  unify,  control,  and  direct 
that  magnificent  patriotism  and  enthusiasm  for  the 
new  Republican  ideas  which,  even  though  exhibited 
sporadically  heretofore,  had  as  yet  sufficed  to  keep 
the  nation  above  water  in  all  the  peril  attendant  upon 
the  unanimous  antagonisms  of  the  nations  of  Europe. 

The  forces  besieging  Toulon  had  been  commanded  in 
succession  by  a  painter,  Carteaux ;  by  a  doctor,  Doppet ; 
and  at  present  by  a  veteran  soldier,  Dugommier,  who 
had  not  the  slightest  spark  of  military  genius  in  his 
composition.  He  had  invested  the  place  on  the  land- 
ward side  in  the  old-fashioned  way,  and  with  the  allies 
in  command  of  the  sea  he  could  have  remained  there 
forever  without  effecting  anything.  The  situation  was 


74  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

satisfactory  enough  for  Dugommier  from  any  point  of 
view,  for  by  doing  nothing  he  at  least  saved  his  head. 
If  he  risked  a  battle  and  lost  it  —  well,  the  convention 
had  an  abrupt  habit  of  sentencing  a  general  in  that 
position  to  death.  Dugommier's  natural  caution  there- 
fore was  accentuated  by  these  untoward  conditions. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  LAST  HOPE   OP  THE   KOYALISTS 

Two  days  after  the  affair  in  the  tower  de  Bollene  in 
October,  1793,  the  Agamemnon,  under  the  influence  of 
the  flood-tide  and  a  gentle  breeze,  slowly  moved  up  the 
harbor  of  Toulon  to  her  anchorage.  Toulon  possesses 
one  of  the  best  natural  harbors  in  the  world.  A  long 
peninsula  extending  westward  from  the  mainland  for 
about  three  miles  encloses  the  Great  Road  with  its  en- 
trance to  the  eastward  about  a  mile  wide.  At  the  west 
end  of  the  peninsula  a  rocky  projection  meeting  a  similar 
promontory  from  the  main  shore  diminishes  the  width 
of  the  bay  to  less  than  half  a  mile.  Within  these 
promontories  the  Inner  or  Little  Road  expands  again 
to  the  width  of  a  league.  The  shape  of  the  whole  body 
of  water,  roughly  speaking,  is  that  of  an  hour-glass. 
At  the  upper  end  of  the  inner  bay  lies  the  fortified  city 
of.  Toulon.  The  outer  and  inner  roads  were  filled  with 
shipping. 

The  batteries  of  the  besiegers  had  been  extended  to 
enclose  the  shores  of  the  bay  on  either  side  of  the  city 
and  harbor.  Opposite  the  two  points  of  land  separating 
the  outer  and  inner  roads,  on  reefs  and  piles  of  rock  in 
the  water,  had  been  erected  formidable  works  to  com- 
mand the  channel  at  its  narrowest  opening :  Forts 

75 


76  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

Balaguier  and  L'Eguillette  on  the  southern  projection, 
Forts  La  Malgue  and  St.  Louis  on  the  northern.  Back 
of  Fort  Balaguier,  upon  the  mainland,  which  here  rose 
from  the  water  in  precipitate  hills,  the  English  had 
erected  a  series  of  heavy  earthworks  facing  the  French 
lines,  which  they  called  Fort  Mulgrave,  to  prevent  the 
neck  of  the  hour-glass  with  its  forts  from  being  seized 
by  the  Republicans.  The  opposing  army  well  provided 
with  guns  kept  up  a  constant  fire  upon  the  defenders  of 
Toulon,  to  which  the  garrison,  also  lacking  nothing, 
made  equally  vigorous  response.  The  scene  as  the 
Agamemnon's  movements  brought  it  in  view  was  an 
exciting  and  magnificent  picture  of  war. 

"There,  my  lord,"  said  Captain  Nelson,  pointing 
toward  Fort  Mulgrave  as  the  Agamemnon  slowly  swept 
up  the  channel,  "  is  the  key  of  Toulon." 

"  Evidently,"  said  the  vice-admiral. 

"  When  we  arrived,"  continued  Nelson,  "  there  were 
no  fortifications  to  speak  of  there,  on  the  landward  side, 
that  is,  and  the  forts  covering  the  channel  might  easily 
have  been  seized  had  there  been  any  military  talent  in 
the  opposing  army." 

"  The  people,"  said  the  marquis,  "  of  France  are  still 
French  and  therefore  brave,  although  the  forcible  and 
temporary  severance  of  their  allegiance  to  the  King  and 
nobility  has  greatly  impaired  their  fighting  capacity  ; 
but  there  is  no  military  leadership  among  them  ap- 
parently. The  people  are  all  very  well  —  if  kept  in 
their  places.  You  cannot  take  a  peasant  or  a  private 
and  make  a  general  of  him  by  giving  him  command, 


THE   LAST   HOPE   OF-  THE   ROYALISTS  77 

any  more  than  you  can  take  a  common  sailor  and  turn 
him  into  an  admiral  by  putting  an  epaulet  on  his 
shoulder,"  continued  the  old  man,  loftily.  "  I  am  not  at 
all  surprised  that  they  allowed  you  to  seize  and  fortify 
that  point." 

"  They  seem  to  be  disputing  its  possession  now,  how- 
ever," said  Nelson,  lifting  a  glass  and  looking  toward 
the  shore.  "  There  are  a  line  of  batteries  around  it  and 
they  are  hotly  engaged.  See,  my  lord,  they  hold  their 
position  in  spite  of  the  English  ships  in  Lazaret  Roads  ! 
That  battery  nearest  Fort  Balaguier  must  be  a  desperate 
position  to  keep,  enfiladed  as  it  is  by  the  fire  of  yonder 
frigate." 

Admiral  Hood  had  disposed  his  available  ships,  those 
which  were  sufficiently  light  in  draught  to  allow  them 
to  approach  near  to  the  shore,  in  such  a  way  that  they 
reenforced  every  fort  and  covered  every  point.  Ships' 
batteries  in  addition  to  those  in  the  town  were  blazing 
on  every  hand  all  the  time,  and  the  promontory  they 
were  besieging  was  surrounded  with  frigates  whose 
broadsides  gave  most  efficient  aid  to  the  shore  batteries. 

Captain  Nelson  was  not  alone  in  his  opinion  of  the 
importance  of  Fort  Mulgrave,  or  the  promontory  on 
which  it  stood,  which  the  English  had  made  so  formi- 
dable that  they  facetiously  christened  it  "  Little  Gib- 
raltar." There  was  one  officer  in  the  French  army,  a 
mere  boy  in  years,  who,  at  a  council  of  war  held  a  short 
time  before,  had  put  his  finger  upon  that  very  spot  on 
the  map  and  had  remarked  to  the  veterans  with  whom 
he  happened  to  be  associated  in  the  council  by  a  fortui- 


78  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

tous  chance,  because  he  was  the  only  trained  artil- 
lerist with  the  Republican  army,  that  there  was  the  key 
to  Toulon.  He  had  pointed  out  that  they  might  assail 
the  walls  forever  and  in  vain,  but  if  they  once  got  pos- 
session of  that  point  the  harbor  would  be  untenable,  for 
guns  on  the  promontory  would  command  every  portion 
of  the  harbor,  the  allied  fleets  would  be  forced  to  with- 
draw, and  the  town  would  fall  at  once. 

Dugommier  and  the  commissioners  of  the  convention, 
who  were  there  to  see  that  everybody  did  his  full  duty 
to  the  Republic,  were  struck  by  the  prescience  of  the 
young  officer.  Their  attention  had  at  once  been  directed 
to  Fort  Mulgrave.  A  few  days  before  the  arrival  of 
the  Agamemnon,  on  the  thirtieth  of  November,  seeing 
that  the  French  were  approaching  perilously  near  to 
the  works,  General  O'Hara  had  made  a  dashing  sortie 
from  Fort  Mulgrave,  which  had  been  gallantly  repulsed, 
and  in  the  retreat  the  English  commander  had  been 
captured  with  many  of  his  men.  The  young  artillery 
captain  had  had  two  horses  shot  under  him  and  had 
been  severely  wounded  in  this  action,  but  fortunately  for 
France  he  survived  the  sortie,  and  the  attack  upon  Fort 
Mulgrave  was  thereafter  pressed  with  more  determina- 
tion than  ever. 

He  was  a  resourceful  man,  this  young  captain.  When 
he  planted  a  battery  on  the  extreme  flank  of  his  posi- 
tion to  take  Fort  Balaguier  and  the  English  lines  in 
reverse,  it  was  found  that  those  who  manned  the  guns 
there  were  in  imminent  danger  from  the  enfilading  fire 
of  the  frigate  reenforcing  the  works.  This  was  the 


THE  LAST   HOPE  OF  THE  KOYALISTS  79 

battery  to  which  Nelson  had  just  called  attention.  The 
young  artillery  captain  hit  upon  the  happy  expedient 
of  naming  the  work  which  was  so  difficult  to  maintain 
and  so  dangerous  to  its  garrison,  the  "  Battery  of  the 
Fearless  !  "  Consequently  he  was  overwhelmed  with 
volunteers  for  the  guns  who  wanted  to  prove  their 
courage  at  that  very  point. 

The  Agamemnon  swung  into  the  inner  harbor  to  the 
berth  pointed  out  to  her  by  one  of  the  scouting  boats, 
dropped  anchor,  and  Captain  Nelson,  accompanied  by 
the  French  vice-admiral,  his  guest,  repaired  to  the 
Victory,  the  flagship  of  Lord  Hood,  the  one  to  report 
and  the  other  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  English  com- 
mander. Thereafter  the  marquis  and  his  party  were 
landed  by  the  Agamemnoris  boat  at  the  principal  quay 
of  the  harbor.  Macartney  had  charge  of  the  boat. 

No  one  on  the  Agamemnon  had  made  muth  progress, 
in  the  two  days  that  had  elapsed  since  she  came  aboard, 
in  the  acquaintance  of  the  comtesse.  Indeed,  the  girl 
had  scarcely  been  visible.  The  recent  death  of  her 
father,  the  great  peril  she  had  so  narrowly  escaped, 
the  shock  she  had  sustained  in  the  knowledge  that 
such  a  man  as  Garron  had  actually  aspired  to  her 
hand,  had  unnerved  her.  When  to  this  was  added 
an  animosity  to  the  English  far  more  unreasoning  and 
more  bitter  —  for  it  was  the  causeless  antagonism  of 
youth  —  than  that  of  her  grandfather,  it  is  easy  to  see 
why  she  kept  to  herself,  to  the  great  disappointment  of 
the  young  sailors  of  the  Agamemnon. 

Macartney  was  a  seasoned  officer  of  thirty  years  of 


80  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

age,  neither  better  nor  worse  than  men  of  his  class. 
He  had  followed  the  sea  since  he  was  ten  years  old, 
and  was  expecting  every  day  his  promotion  to  a  frigate. 
He  had  had  love  affairs  without  number.  His  sweet- 
hearts were  scattered  from  India  to  Quebec.  There 
were  so  many  of  them  that  he  had  forgotten  their  very 
names  and  even  what  they  looked  like.  Sometimes 
when  a  letter  reached  him  he  had  to  cudgel  his  brains 
to  think  who  "Mary"  or  "Jessie"  or  "Isabel"  might  be! 

A  penniless  Irishman  of  good  but  poverty-stricken 
family,  and  nothing  else,  he  had  risen  from  cabin  boy  to 
first  lieutenant  by  merit  alone.  Had  it  not  been  for  a 
streak  of  reckless  audacity  and  a  native  impatience  of 
restraint,  which  sometimes  caused  him  to  break  out  in 
different  ways,  he  would  have  been  a  captain  long  since. 
In  his  love  affairs  he  had  always  been  confident  that 
each  successive  woman  to  whom  he  pledged  his  heart 
was  the  affinity  provided  for  him  by  the  immortal 
gods.  But  in  the  case  of  Louise  de  Vaudemont  it 
seemed  to  him  that  it  was  different.  The  fickle  Irish- 
man fell  in  love  frequently  and  easily  and  always  at 
first  sight.  He  had  done  it  before  and,  therefore,  he 
had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  the  symptoms  when 
Louise  de  Vaudemont  swept  into  his  empty  and  —  for 
the  time  being  —  ungarnished  heart.  Yet  in  this 
instance  he  felt  that  something  was  changed.  Other 
instances  had  not  affected  him  quite  this  way,  if  his 
memory  served  him. 

He  had  heard  the  story  of  Garron's  proposition.  He 
realized  from  what  he  had  saved  the  girl.  To  be  sure 


THE   LAST   HOPE   OF   THE  ROYALISTS  81 

Nelson  and  the  ship's  company  might  lay  claim  to  a 
share  of  that  salvage  as  well  as  he,  but  he  also  realized 
that  he  was  the  man  who  would  undoubtedly  get  the 
credit  for  it  in  her  eyes,  for  he  was  the  man  who  was 
there.  It  was  his  dispositions  that  had  made  the 
attack  successful,  and  it  was  to  him  that  its  success 
was  due.  Of  course  if  he  had  made  any  mistake, 
Captain  Nelson  would  have  interfered,  but  he  had  not 
made  any.  He  instinctively  felt  that  when  the  com- 
tesse  thought  about  the  situation  she  would  give  the 
honor  to  him. 

Macartney  was  a  gallant  and  handsome  officer,  with 
Irish  blue  eyes  full  of  merriment  and  tenderness  on 
occasion,  with  curly  dark  brown  hair,  with  a  mouth 
whose  jolly  laughing  curves  did  not  conceal  his  deci- 
sion and  courage.  He  was  a  tall,  broad-shouldered, 
powerful  fellow,  as  light  on  his  feet  as  a  cat,  and  in 
every  respect  the  antithesis  of  his  little  captain,  to 
whom,  by  the  way,  he  was  blindly  and  devotedly 
attached. 

Like  all  those  who  came  in  contact  with  him, 
Macartney  expected  much  of  that  little  captain  in  the 
future,  and  his  expectations,  as  we  shall  see,  were  not 
doomed  to  disappointment.  What  the  little  captain 
of  artillery  was  destined  to  be  on  the  land,  that  the 
little  captain  of  the  Agamemnon  was  to  be  on  the  sea. 
The  greatest  drama  in  all  human  history  was  that 
which  was  played  between  the  two.  Men  have  lost 
sight,  comparatively  speaking,  of  the  little  captain  of 
the  sea  in  contemplation  of  the  greater  glory  of  the 


82  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

little  captain  of  the  shore  ;  but  had  it  not  been  for 
the  little  captain  of  the  sea,  in  at  least  two  crucfal 
moments  in  the  lives  of  both  men,  the  history  ot  the 
world  would  have  been  changed,  and  for  the  worse. 

Macartney  was  deeply  disappointed,  more  so  than 
any  of  the  others,  at  his  inability  to  see  much  of  the 
comtesse.  When  he  did  see  her  on  the  short  voyage 
she  was  never  alone.  The  marquis  or  the  taciturn  and 
saturnine  Breboeuf  or  the  pert  and  voluble  Aurore 
were  always  at  hand.  Indeed,  Breboeuf  seemed  to 
think  that  his  special  duty  consisted  in  watching  over 
the  young  woman.  He  had  come  into  the  service  of 
the  de  Vaudemonts  in  attendance  upon  the  daughter- 
in-law  of  the  old  marquis.  He  was  an  ancient  retainer 
of  the  family  of  de  Croisic  of  Morbihan,  and  when 
Mademoiselle  Louise  de  Croisic  was  married  to  the 
young  Captain  de  Vaudemont,  Brebceuf,  who  had 
known  her  from  a  child,  came  with  her  to  Provence. 
Madame  de  Vaudemont  shared  her  husband's  love  of 
the  sea,  and  her  daughter,  strange  to  say,  had  been 
bom  on  a  ship. 

"  You  have  no  fear  of  the  sea,"  Macartney  had  said 
to  his  fair  young  charge  as  they  approached  the  Aga- 
memnon for  the  first  time. 

"  Fear  !  "  exclaimed  the  girl.  "  Monsieur,  the  de 
Vaudemonts  fear  nothing  but  God."  The  simplicity 
with  which  she  made  this  doughty  declaration  robbed 
it  of  its  arrogance.  "  And  I,"  she  continued,  gravely, 
"was  born  on  a  frigate." 

"Is  it  possible  ?  "  exclaimed  the  young  Irishman. 


THE   LAST    HOPE   OP   THE    ROYALISTS  83 

"  Monsieur,  it  is  certain.  My  mother  had  been  visit- 
ing in  Brittany.  She  had  gone  there  on  my  father's 
ship.  When  they  embarked  for  Vaudemont  that  I 
might  be  born  in  my  father's  chateau,  the  ship  was 
caught  in  a  storm.  They  were  forced  to  run  before  it 
miles  to  seaward.  It  was  a  long  weary  beat  back  to 
the  Mediterranean  and  I  was  born  on  the  sea,  under 
the  flag  of  France,  in  the  midst  of  a  storm." 

"  The  blue  ocean's  daughter,"  murmured  the  young 
man,  delighted  at  this  confession. 

"  Yes,  monsieur,"  said  the  girl,  smiling  faintly.  "  I 
love  a  ship.  When  I  was  a  child,  before  I  was  sent  to 
the  convent  in  Paris,  my  father  took  me  with  him  on 
many  a  cruise.  My  mother  died  when  my  brother 
was  born  and  we  were  much  with  our  father  when  we 
were  children.  I  can  steer  a  ship ;  I  have  often  — 
monsieur  will  scarcely  believe  it  —  been  over  the 
crosstrees." 

"  You  are  the  very  wife  for  a  sailor,  mademoiselle," 
said  the  Irishman,  boldly. 

The  girl  was  too  little  used  to  society,  too  innocent, 
to  realize  what  the  man  had  said. 

"I  shall  be  wife  to  no  one,"  she  answered  gravely. 
"  I  live  for  my  grandfather,  for  my  King,  for  France." 

"'Tis  a  brave  resolution,  mademoiselle,"  answered 
the  young  sailor,  awed  for  the  moment  by  the  solemnity 
of  her  remarks.  "But  'tis  one,"  he  added  under  his 
breath,  "that  you  will  never  keep."  And  by  all  the 
laws  of  war  he  resolved  that  he  would  do  his  best  to 
compel  her  to  break  it. 


84  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

But  fortune  had  given  him  no  opportunity,  nor  had 
all  his  ability  availed  to  enable  him  to  create  one  before 
reaching  Toulon.  He  did  not  see  her  a  moment  alone 
until  they  stood  on  the  quay  ready  to  separate.  The 
advent  of  the  marquis,  an  officer  of  rank  and  station 
and  reputation,  had  been  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
the  notables  and  garrison  of  the  town.  The  intimate 
friend  of  the  Comte  de  Provence,  the  Regent  of  the 
boy  King,  Louis  XVII,  languishing  to  his  death  under 
the  brutal  tutelage  of  Simon  at  Paris,  he  had  been  wel- 
comed with  eagerness  as  a  most  valuable  auxiliary  to 
the  defence.  Quarters  had  been  found  for  him  and 
his  grandchildren,  and  they  were  all  heartily  received 
by  the  Royalists  of  the  town.  The  vice-admiral  was 
soon  busily  greeting  his  old  friends  and  acquaintances 
at  the  landing.  Honore,  whose  devotion  to  his  grand- 
father amounted  to  idolatry,  stood  close  by  his  side. 
Breboauf  was  attending  to  the  luggage,  and  Aurore  was 
lost  in  admiration  of  the  brilliant  scene  on  the  quay. 

Macartney  and  Louise  were  alone  for  the  moment. 

"Mademoiselle,"  said  the  young  man,  eagerly,  "I 
have  had  no  opportunity  to  speak  to  you  alone,  scarcely 
even  to  see  you,  for  a  moment.  I  want  to  see  more  of 
you.  May  I  not  ?  "  he  went  on  ingenuously. 

"  To  what  purpose,  monsieur  ?  " 

"Does  one  ask  why  one  wants  to  see  the  roses  in 
bloom,  or  why  one  longs  to  hear  the  birds  sing,  made- 
moiselle ?  " 

"  Roses  do  not  bloom  and  birds  do  not  sing  for  those 
who  love  their  King  in  France  to-day." 


THE   LAST   HOPE   OP  THE   ROYALISTS  85 

"  Ah,  there  you  are  wrong,  mademoiselle,"  returned 
the  Irishman,  confidently.  "You  may  kill  the  King 
and  subvert  the  government ;  you  may  change  the 
orderly  course  of  events  in  whatever  way  you  will, 
with  whatever  consequences  personal  or  otherwise ; 
but  roses  will  bloom  and  birds  will  sing,  if  nowhere 
else,  in  human  hearts.  May  I  not  come  to  see 
you?" 

"  To  what  end,  monsieur  ? "  asked  the  girl  once 
more.  "I  am  for  France." 

"  Just  that  I  may  look  upon  you.  We  sailors  are 
shut  off  from  half  the  joys  of  life  that  womankind  can 
bring,  and  —  " 

"  You  must  not  talk  so." 

"  I  will  say  nothing  if  you  will  only  give  me  leave 
to  come." 

"  You  saved  my  life,  monsieur,"  said  the  girl,  slowly 
at  last.  "  Perhaps  more  than  my  life  "  —  she  shud- 
dered at  the  thought  of  Garron  — "  and  I  owe  you 
much.  I  would  not  seem  ungracious,  as  I  am  not  un- 
grateful. If  my  grandfather  permits,  you  may  come. 
But  I  will  be  frank  with  you.  It  seems  unkind,  per- 
haps, but  the  truth  is  usually  so,  I  am  told.  I  do 
not  love  the  English  people.  I  wish  any  other  had 
saved  me  than  yourself." 

Macartney  was  too  wise  to  argue. 

"  Quite  so,  mademoiselle,  and  as  I  told  you  once 
before,  I  beg  you  to  remember  that  I  am  not  an 
Englishman,  but  an  Irishman." 

"  And  as  I  said  once  before,  'tis  the  same  thing. " 


86  THE   TWO    CAPTAINS 

"  Give  me  leave,  mademoiselle,  and  I  shall  be  able 
to  prove  to  you  that  it  is  very  different." 

"  Comtesse,"  said  the  vice-admiral,  turning. 

The  girl  smiled  frankly,  extending  her  hand  to 
Macartney.  He  bent  low  over  it  and  kissed  it,  after 
a  fashion  already  disappearing  from  France,  and  there 
was  a  fervor  and  a  passion  in  his  touch  that,  in  spite  of 
herself,  thrilled  the  recipient  of  the  courtesy. 

"  My  compliments  to  your  captain,  Monsieur  Macart- 
ney," continued  the  marquis,  "if  I  mistake  not  we 
shall  hear  of  him  some  day.  He  knows  his  ship ;  there 
is  a  temper  in  him  like  that  in  a  Toledo  blade.  The 
hdtel  which  has  been  placed  at  my  disposal  in  the  town 
is  open  to  him,  to  you,  and  to  your  officers.  We  hope 
to  see  you  there.  We  owe  you  much.  Au  revoir." 

"Thank  you,  my  lord,"  said  Macartney,  delighted 
at  the  invitation.  "Be  sure  that  I  shall  come,  sir." 
Then  he  whispered  to  Louise,  "  You  hear  ?  I  may 
come,  then  ?  " 

"  Come,"  whispered  the  girl,  turning  away,  leaving 
him  enraptured  on  the  quay. 


CHAPTER  IX 

AMID   FLAME   AND   SMOKE 

ON  the  night  of  the  16th  of  November,  the  weather 
being  cold  and  rainy,  the  wind  blowing  great  guns,  the 
Republicans,  led  by  the  young  captain  of  artillery,  who, 
in  spite  of  his  low  rank,  was  the  animating  spirit  of  the 
offence,  captured  Fort  Mulgrave  by  storm.  Forts 
L'Eguilette  and  Balaguier  were  rendered  untenable  by 
this  bold  operation.  They  had  not  been  built  for  defence 
against  attack  from  the  landward  side. 

Fort  Mulgrave  was  not  taken  without  a  desperate 
struggle,  in  which  the  frigates  and  ships  near  the  shore 
all  participated.  At  the  same  time  furious  attacks 
were  made  upon  Forts  Malbosquet  and  La  Malgue  on 
the  other  side  of  the  harbor,  and  upon  various  points 
on  the  walls.  The  assailants  made  good  use  of  the 
advantage  they  had  gained  in  the  seizure  of  "Little 
Gibraltar,"  which  was  hardly  worthy  its  name  after 
all,  for  they  promptly  turned  the  heavy  guns  of  the 
fort,  which  were  ree'nf orced  by  those  from  the  "  Battery 
of  the  Fearless"  and  other  encompassing  works,  upon 
the  allied  ships  in  the  harbor.  The  promontory,  under 
the  artillery  captain's  skilful  dispositions,  soon  bristled 
with  guns,  and  by  morning  a  rain  of  bullets  swept  the 
outer  and  inner  roads. 

87 


88  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

Hood  and  Langara  at  first  endeavored  to  overwhelm 
it  by  the  fire  of  their  heavy  ships-of-the-line,  but  with- 
out avail.  As  the  young  artillery  captain  had  said, 
that  promontory  was  the  key  to  Toulon.  It  was  soon 
recognized  that  with  that  point  of  vantage  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  enemy,  the  harbor  would  have  to  be 
abandoned.  To  retake  it  was  plainly  impossible. 
There  was  no  help  for  it,  they  had  to  go,  nor  could 
they  stand  upon  the  order  of  their  going. 

The  decision  to  withdraw  which  had  thus  been 
forced  upon  the  English  admiral  was  at  once  communi- 
cated to  the  people  of  the  town.  From  a  state  of  easy 
and  confident  security,  the  helpless  inhabitants  imme- 
diately passed  into  a  condition  of  the  direst  apprehen- 
sion and  alarm.  The  fate  of  Lyons,  the  horrible 
massacres  at  Marseilles,  were  known  to  every  one.  The 
resistance  of  Toulon  had  been  more  desperate  than  had 
been  that  of  the  other  two  cities.  Toulon  had  com- 
mitted the  last  affront  against  the  French  Republic 
by  admitting  the  English  to  its  harbor.  There  was 
no  hope  but  that  the  vengeance  to  be  meted  out  to  it 
would  be  more  terrible  than  that  which  had  been 
visited  upon  any  other  spot  in  France  which  had  taken 
arms  against  the  Republic. 

In  the  harbor,  mostly  laid  up  in  ordinary,  tied  up 
along  the  wharves,  or  in  the  dockyards,  were  thirty- 
one  magnificent  ships-of-the-line,  besides  twelve  frig- 
ates and  many  smaller  ships.  Four  had  been  seized, 
loaded  with  French  prisoners,  and  sent  away  to  Roche- 
fort  by  the  English  admiral.  Many  of  Hood's  cap- 


AMID   FLAME  AND   SMOKE  89 

tains,  Nelson  being  chief  among  them,  had  advised 
that  the  remaining  French  ships  should  be  burned  so 
soon  as  the  allies  had  taken  possession  of  the  harbor, 
but  Lord  Hood's  position  had  been  an  extremely 
delicate  one.  Toulon  had  practically  declared  for  the 
King.  The  English  and  Spanish  were  at  war  with  the 
French  Republic.  They  had  no  quarrel  with  the  King 
of  France.  In  entering  Toulon  and  reenforcing  it,  they 
were  actually  succoring  the  King  against  the  Republi- 
cans. To  have  destroyed  the  ships  there  would  have 
been  to  destroy  the  navy  of  the  King,  for  being  in 
Toulon  the  ships  naturally  passed  out  of  the  control 
of  the  Republicans  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  Rear- 
admiral  St.  Julien,  the  friend  of  Garron,  a  Republican 
who  had  strenuously  objected  to  the  admission  of 
the  English.  Admiral  Langara  had  also  vigorously 
protested  against  any  destruction  of  the  ships,  on  the 
ground  mentioned.  The  French  Royalists  in  Toulon, 
and  especially  the  old  Marquis  de  Vaudemont,  a  sea 
officer  of  long  experience  who  loved  the  ships,  had  added 
their  representations  to  those  of  the  Spanish  commander. 
In  the  embarrassing  situation  Hood  had  felt  that  he 
could  do  no  less  than  respect  the  pleas  of  his  allies  and 
the  Royalists,  but  when  it  became  necessary  to  aban- 
don Toulon  after  the  Republican  success  in  seizing  the 
promontory,  the  situation  was  entirely  changed  ;  for  to 
leave  the  ships  intact  was  to  hand  them  over  to  the 
Republican  government.  No  objection  could  be  made 
therefore  either  by  the  allies  or  the  Royalists  to  the 
orders  which  he  issued  for  their  destruction. 


90  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

What  could  have  been  accomplished  thoroughly  and 
without  difficulty  at  leisure  had  perforce  to  be  done 
imperfectly  and  inadequately  in  the  haste  of  embarka- 
tion. The  ships  were  getting  the  worst  of  the  en- 
counter with  the  batteries  on  the  shore  with  every 
passing  hour.  The  Republicans,  encouraged  by  their 
brilliant  success,  and  with  the  guns  of  the  jutting 
promontory  enfilading  the  shores  on  either  side,  had 
rushed  their  batteries  to  the  very  edge  of  the  bluffs 
overlooking  the  roads.  The  vessels  immediately  had 
been  driven  from  the  places  whence  they  had  been  en- 
abled to  pour  such  annoying  fire  upon  the  French.  The 
passage  between  the  outer  and  inner  roads  became  a 
zone  of  fire.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost  if  the  fleets 
were  to  be  saved.  Hood  and  Langara  offered  to 
receive  on  the  ships  as  many  people  as  they  could  carry, 
or  at  least  as  many  as  could  get  aboard  in  the  short 
period  that  remained  before  their  departure. 

Macartney  had  been  promoted  a  short  time  before  to 
the  command  of  a  captured  forty-gun  frigate,  formerly 
La  Topaze,  but  which  had  been  renamed  the  Inconstant, 
and  he  was  ordered  to  attend  to  the  burning  of  the  French 
ships.  In  this  he  was  assisted  by  a  number  of  officers 
and  men  detailed  from  different  ships  in  the  fleet,  and 
by  several  English  and  Spanish  gunboats.  The  detach- 
ment was  provided  with  a  number  of  captured  vessels 
of  small  size,  to  be  used  as  fireships. 

Meanwhile  the  embarkation  of  the  Royalists  pro- 
ceeded with  frantic  haste.  Boat  after  boat  left  the 
crowded  quays  and  wharves  loaded  to  the  gunwales 


AMID   FLAME  AND   SMOKE  91 

with  frightened  people.  The  ships-of-the-line,  the  frig- 
ates, the  transports,  were  crowded  with  soldiers  of  the 
garrison  and  with  the  terrified  inhabitants  of  the  town. 
One  by  one,  as  they  were  filled,  they  weighed  anchor, 
and  left  the  harbor,  running  a  gantlet  of  the  fire  from 
the  batteries  as  they  passed  out  to  sea. 

Macartney's  state  of  mind  can  scarcely  be  imagined. 
He  had  a  duty  to  perform  of  the  greatest  importance. 
There  was  no  way,  even  had  he  so  desired,  by  which  he 
could  either  evade  it  or  devolve  it  upon  some  one  else. 
The  most  important  thing  to  be  done  in  connection 
with  the  evacuation  was  to  see  that  no  French  ship 
was  left  seaworthy  for  the  Republic.  To  attend  to 
that  duty  required  that  he  should  devote  himself  to  it 
with  every  particle  of  skill,  address,  and  courage  that 
he  possessed.  Indeed,  as  he  was  the  ranking  officer  of 
the  men  engaged  in  the  task  he  might  be  considered  as 
being  vital  to  the  success  of  the  endeavor.  Whatever 
he  felt  or  thought  he  went  about  it  in  a  businesslike 
way  too. 

There  were  in  Toulon  a  number  of  Republicans  who 
had  been  restrained  from  exploiting  their  political  views 
by  the  overwhelming  preponderance  of  Royalists  and 
Girondists  who  had  made  common  cause.  They  be- 
longed chiefly  to  the  lower  orders  of  the  city,  and  im- 
mediately the  abandonment  of  the  town  began  they 
declared  themselves.  Joined  to  them  also  were  the 
forfats,  the  galley-slaves,  who  were  released  from  con- 
finement to  the  number  of  several  thousand.  They 
were  led  by  some  men  of  talent  who  had  divined  that 


92  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

the  best  service  they  could  render  the  Republic  was  to 
save  the  ships.  In  spite  of  all  they  could  do  at  first, 
however,  the  English  towed  the  fire  sloops  into  the 
middle  of  the  French  liners  huddled  in  the  basin  and 
successfully  ignited  them.  They  were  soon  blazing 
furiously. 

As  the  several  boat-crews  from  the  frigate  and  the 
gunboats  went  from  ship  to  ship  in  the  roads  and  in 
the  inner  harbor,  or  having  landed  in  the  navy  yard 
set  building  after  building  on  fire,  they  were  met  by  a 
constantly  strengthening  opposition.  Arms  there  were 
in  plenty,  for  the  French  ships  had  not  even  been  dis- 
mantled, and  the  enterprise  resolved  itself  into  a  series 
of  hand-to-hand  fights  upon  the  decks  of  the  different 
ships-of-the-line. 

The  opposition  steadily  grew  stronger  and  more  de- 
termined ;  and  after  setting  fire  to  a  number  of  ships 
it  became  evident  to  Macartney  and  to  every  one  else 
that  with  the  force  at  his  command  he  could  do  no 
more.  The  remaining  ships  were  crowded  with  men. 
Their  batteries  were  cast  loose  and  wherever  they  bore 
upon  the  English  a  heavy  fire  was  poured  upon  them. 
They  had  done  all  that  mortal  man  could  do.  There 
was  nothing  left  but  retreat.  The  Spanish  had 
bungled  things  badly  and  effected  little.  A  fireship 
in  their  charge  blew  up,  wrecking  some  of  the  English 
boats.  Reluctantly  the  Irishman  gave  the  order  to 
abandon  their  endeavor  and  pull  for  the  frigate. 

Now  Macartney's  perturbation  was  caused  by  his 
incertitude  as  to  the  fate  of  Louise  de  Vaudemont. 


AMID   FLAME   AND   SMOKE  93 

Almost  would  he  have  given  his  command  for  an  as- 
surance of  her  safety.  The  opportunity  for  distinction 
that  had  been  vouchsafed  him  in  the  order  for  the 
burning  of  the  French  fleet  was  a  great  one.  He  would 
fain  have  yielded  that  to  another  had  it  been  in  any  way 
possible  to  a  man  of  honor,  so  that  he  might  have  gone 
in  search  of  the  woman  he  loved. 

During  the  long  days  of  the  siege  he  had  availed 
himself  of  that  reluctant  permission  to  visit  her  which 
he  had  extorted  from  her  on  the  wharf ;  and  from  each 
interview  he  had  come  away  more  deeply  enamoured 
than  ever.  The  very  hopelessness  of  his  position,  the 
apparent  impossibility  of  any  fruition  to  his  love  affair, 
and  the  immobility  of  the  girl  herself  only  served  to 
stimulate  it  and  intensify  it.  He  had  made  easy  con- 
quests heretofore  and  his  present  difficulty  only  made 
him  the  more  ardent. 

He  had  nothing  on  earth,  no  resources,  that  is,  but 
his  sword.  His  pay  as  a  captain  was  small,  but  such 
as  it  was  it  was  the  only  revenue  he  could  command. 
Louise  de  Vaudemont  was  even  poorer  than  himself, 
but  she  was  the  granddaughter  of  one  of  the  greatest 
nobles  of  France.  In  those  days  no  one  believed  in 
the  permanence  of  the  French  Republic.  Everybody 
expected  its  speedy  downfall.  Upon  the  restoration  of 
the  monarchy  de  Vaudemont  would  find  himself  once 
more  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  princely  revenues  of  his 
vast  estates.  He  would  disdain  the  simple  captain  in 
the  navy  of  his  dearest  foe. 

What  mattered   that?     Macartney  had  the   happy 


94  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

optimism  of  his  race.  He  had  also  much  of  its  freedom 
from  care  for  the  future.  He  made  love  to  the  comtesse 
as  persistently,  as  openly,  and  as  desperately  as  he  dared 
—  and  in  her  pursuit  he  dared  much. 

He  did  not  allow  himself  to  conceive  that  she  might 
possibly  regard  him  with  indifference.  She  had  indeed 
maintained  such  an  attitude  rigorously,  yet  now  and 
then  there  were  little  indications  of  another  feeling 
which  his  experience  discerned  and  in  which  he  took 
great  comfort. 

His  anxiety  at  this  present  moment,  when  he  was 
destroying  the  French  ships  and  shipyards,  arose  from 
the  fact  that  he  had  no  assurance  of  her  safety.  The 
Marquis  de  Vaude"inont  was  a  man  of  sufficient  impor- 
tance to  have  received  the  first  attention  from  the  allies 
had  he  asked  it.  But,  and  here  was  the  rub !  Macart- 
ney realized  that  in  all  probability  the  vice-admiral's 
ideas  of  honor  and  dignity  would  not  permit  him  to 
leave  a  post  which  had  been  in  a  measure  committed  to 
him,  while  any  one  else  was  unprovided  with  means  of 
escape.  Macartney  was  certain  that  the  marquis  would 
take  steps  to  secure  the  embarkation  of  his  grand- 
children, especially  Louise,  but  he  had  a  shrewd  suspi- 
cion that  she  would  never  desert  her  grandfather.  It 
was  this  uncertainty  as  to  their  escape  which  had  pro- 
duced his  agony  of  mind. 

The  capture  of  Fort  Mulgrave  had  been  so  sudden 
and  unexpected,  the  necessity  for  the  prompt  withdrawal 
of  the  fleets  from  the  harbor  had  been  so  pressing, 
that  Hood  had  summoned  him  to  the  flagship  without 


AMID   FLAME  AND   SMOKE  95 

the  loss  of  a  moment,  and  charged  him  with  the  duty 
which  under  other  circumstances  he  would  have  un- 
dertaken with  unmitigated  joy.  So  exacting  had  been 
this  duty  that  he  had  had  no  time  even  to  go  ashore 
and  inquire  about  her. 

One  by  one  the  boats  made  for  the  Inconstant,  which 
he  had  placed  in  such  a  position  as  to  render  her  least 
liable  to  damage  from  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  Macart- 
ney had  been  but  a  short  time  in  the  frigate,  but  he  had 
already  endeared  himself  to  her  crew.  Everybody  liked 
Macartney,  women  especially,  and  that  the  young  com- 
tesse  had  been  so  coldly  indifferent  to  him  but  added 
zest  to  his  pursuit  of  her.  Naturally  the  captain's  boat 
was  the  last  to  leave  the  French  fleet.  It  was  a  heavy 
twelve-oared  cutter  and  contained  half  a  dozen  marines 
forward.  Moved  by  a  natural  impulse,  instead  of  steer- 
ing the  boat  directly  to  the  frigate,  Macartney,  who  had 
the  tiller  himself,  swung  her  parallel  to  the  crowded 
quay  of  the  city  at  a  short  distance  from  the  shore. 

The  scene  in  the  harbor  was  one  of  appalling  mag- 
nificence. From  Fort  Mulgrave  and  the  other  batteries 
a  constant  roar  of  artillery  was  kept  up.  The  forts  on 
all  sides  ringed  the  inner  harbor  of  the  city  with  smoke 
and  flame.  The  flying  English  and  Spanish  ships  swept 
down  the  harbor,  their  broadsides  hurling  death  and 
destruction  at  the  batteries  on  either  hand.  The  water 
in  the  inner  harbor  was  whipped  into  fountains  by  a 
hail  of  bullets,  throwing  great  jets  of  spray  into  the  air. 

The  burning  French  ships-of-the-line  were  blazing 
furiously,  sending  great  columns  of  smoke  and  fire  into 


96  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

the  heavens.  The  storehouses  filled  with  inflammable 
material,  the  docks  and  other  buildings,  including  the 
powder  magazine,  added  their  quota  of  flame  and  smoke 
to  the  infernal  confusion  of  the  terrible  night.  The 
place  was  bright  as  noonday.  It  was  like  the  crater  of 
a  volcano.  The  Republican  soldiers  under  cover  of 
their  batteries  at  last  mounted  the  walls.  Drunk  with 
passion  and  enthusiasm  they  swept  through  the  streets, 
butchering  as  they  went,  driving  the  helpless  populace 
to  join  the  mob  already  congested  on  the  wharves  and 
quays  of  the  water  front. 

Men,  women,  and  children  were  there.  A  wail  of 
terror  compounded  from  thousands  of  voices  thrilled 
and  sobbed  in  the  air  above  the  frightful  tumult. 
Those  nearest  the  water's  edge  stretched  out  their  arms 
to  Macartney  in  his  boat  in  a  vain  and  piteous  appeal, 
crying  to  him  for  help,  begging  him  to  take  them  with 
him  in  the  boat,  offering  him  anything  if  he  would 
only  rescue  them. 

"  My  God !  "  he  said  to  his  midshipman,  "  isn't  this 
awful?  I  have  seen  war  in  many  places  and  in  many 
phases,  but  never  like  this !  " 

"The  boat  would  hold  two  or  three  more,  sir," 
answered  Hoste,  the  young  reefer.  "  We  might  take 
off  that  many  women  and  children." 

"  My  lad,"  said  Macartney,  "  to  approach  nearer 
them  would  be  instant  death.  They  would  overwhelm 
the  boat  in  a  second.  We  would  be  swamped.  No 
one  would  survive.  Yet  I  would  give  my  life  to  take 
them  all." 


AMID   FLAME   AND   SMOKE  97 

As  he  spoke  a  half  dozen  men,  seeing  the  boat 
pulling  past  the  pier  head,  sprang  into  the  water, 
thinking  perhaps  that  Macartney  would  wait  for  them. 
The  man  turned  away  his  head  from  the  struggling 
wretches. 

"  You  see,"  he  said  to  the  midshipman. 

"  Yes,  sir.     Isn't  it  awful  ?  " 

"  Terrible !  Put  some  muscle  into  your  stroke, 
men !  "  cried  the  captain,  addressing  the  oarsmen,  "  we 
can't  let  any  one  overtake  us." 

Even  the  men,  coarse  of  fibre,  rough  in  character, 
hardened  and  brutalized,  as  were  the  sailors  of  that 
day,  accustomed  to  horrors  and  terrors  of  all  kinds, 
were  profoundly  affected  by  this  situation  of  the  people 
on  the  quays.  The  cries  of  those  nearest  the  water's 
edge  were  interrupted  by  the  shrieks  and  volleys  of 
musketry,  and  the  sound  of  cannon  shots.  Above  all 
this  could  be  heard  the  fierce  yells  of  the  Republican 
soldiery,  "  Vive  la  R&publique  !  " 

"  Vive  la  R£publique  !  "  Though  death  and  destruc- 
tion came  to  those  who  opposed  its  progress  the  march 
of  human  freedom  must  go  on.  "  Vive  la  Rtpublique  !  " 
Remorselessly  it  swept  away  every  one  who  stood  in  its 
path  and  strove  to  check  its  onrush. 

In  the  sack  of  Toulon  that  night  men  and  women 
and  children  without  regard  to  age,  sex,  or  condition 
went  down  in  that  awful  holocaust  of  blood  and  fire. 
There  were  some  French  officers  and  a  number  of  men,  a 
few  in  all,  in  whose  breasts  the  well-spring  of  pity  had 
not  dried,  who  strove  to  check  the  butchery  and  to 


98  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

restrain  the  pillage  ;  but  urged  on  by  men  like  Barras, 
Salicetti,  and  Freron,  most  brutal  of  them  all,  the  Repub- 
licans gave  free  rein  to  their  passions.  Murder,  outrage, 
torture,  rapine,  flourished  unchecked,  in  spite  of  the  en- 
treaties of  Dugommier  and  the  better  sort  of  his  army. 
The  streets  ran  blood.  The  soldiers  were  fairly  sated 
with  slaughter. 

"  We  are  drawing  past  the  frigate,  sir,"  at  last  ven- 
tured Hoste,  touching  his  captain  on  the  shoulder  as 
he  stared  appalled  at  the  ruin  of  the  town. 

"  Men,"  said  Macartney,  suddenly,  "  I  know  that  my 
sweetheart  is  in  that  town.  I  want  to  land  at  a  little  pri- 
vate wharf  beyond  that  row  of  houses  provided  there  is 
no  mob  there.  There  is  an  alley  that  leads  straight  to 
the  back  garden  of  her  house.  I  can  go  there  and 
return  in  ten  minutes.  I  can't  order  any  man  to  do  a 
thing  like  this,  but  1  want  volunteers.  Will  you  help 
me?" 

"We  will,  sir,"  cried  the  coxswain  of  the  crew. 
"Am  I  right,  mates?" 

"  Ye  are,  Jack,"  cried  one  and  another.  "  We'll  help 
the  cap'n  git  his  lady." 

"  Mr.  Hoste,"  said  Macartney,  "  you  will  take  charge 
of  the  boat.  If  it  is  possible  for  me  to  land  at  all  I 
shall  do  so  behind  that  row  of  storehouses.  There  is  an 
old  deserted  landing  there,  and  I  imagine  the  mob 
will  have  forgotten  it  if  they  ever  knew  about  it. 
As  soon  as  I  am  landed,  pull  away  a  safe  distance  and 
lie  on  your  oars.  If  I  am  not  back  in  ten  minutes, 
make  the  best  of  your  way  to  the  frigate  and  tell  Mr. 


AMID   FLAME   AND   SMOKE  99 

Frazier  that  I  am  killed,  and  direct  him  to  get  under  way 
and  report  to  Admiral  Hood  that  we  burned  as  many 
ships  as  was  humanly  possible.  Explain  to  him  how  it 
was  we  couldn't  burn  them  all." 

"  Yes,  sir,  but  hadn't  you  better  take  some  one  with 
you,  sir?" 

"  It  might  be  a  good  plan,"  said  Macartney.  "  Men, 
I  want  a  volunteer  to  go  ashore  with  me." 

Everybody  hastened  to  offer  himself,  but  the  cox- 
swain, a  veteran  seaman,  insisted  that  it  was  his  place  to 
go,  on  account  of  his  rank. 

"  You  see,  sir,"  he  said,  "  I'm  a  sort  of  first  luff  on 
this  yere  craft,  after  you  and  Mr.  Hoste,  sir,  and  the 
first  luff  allus  goes  with  a  cuttin'-out  expedition." 

"  You  shall  come,  cox'n,"  said  Macartney,  smiling  at 
the  quaint  logic.  "Look  well  to  your  cutlass  and 
pistol." 

The  boat  by  this  time  had  drawn  past  the  row  of 
storehouses.  Back  of  them  was  comparative  darkness. 
They  screened  the  place  from  the  light  of  the  burning 
ships.  Into  a  black  cavernous  recess  Macartney  cau- 
tiously steered  the  cutter.  There  was  a  landing-place, 
an  old  and  disused  wharf.  A  flight  of  rotting  wooden 
steps  led  to  a  small  pier  opening  upon  a  narrow  alley 
between  high,  dark  buildings  on  either  side. 

"  Good-by,"  said  Macartney,  clasping  the  boy's 
hand,  "remember  what  I  told  you.  Come,  cox'n." 


CHAPTER  X 

CONFEONTING  THE  MOB 

BARING  his  sword  and  seizing  a  pistol  in  his  left  hand, 
in  which  his  example  was  followed  by  the  old  sailor, 
Macartney  sprang  up  the  steps  and  moved  quickly  but 
cautiously  up  the  dark  alley.  Some  distance  ahead  of 
the  pair  a  blaze  of  light  shot  across  the  passageway, 
showing  the  first  intersecting  street.  It  was  filled  with 
a  mob  of  frightened  people  running  toward  the  wharves. 
There  were  no  soldiers  there  yet.  In  the  confusion 
Macartney  and  the  sailor  by  a  quick  dash  succeeded  in 
getting  across  unnoticed. 

They  ran  another  block  and  came  to  a  broader  street. 
Here  a  crowd  of  men  barred  their  way.  From  their 
uniforms  it  was  easy  to  see  that  they  were  Republican 
troops.  An  adjacent  house  was  burning  and  the  place 
was  as  light  as  day.  A  swift  glance  put  Macartney  in 
possession  of  the  details  of  the  scene. 

At  the  corner  of  the  street  a  little  party  stood  at  bay 
confronting  the  mob  of  soldiery,  which  had  abandoned 
all  semblance  of  order  and  had  thrown  discipline  to  the 
winds.  Macartney's  heart  leaped  in  his  breast  as  he 
recognized  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont.  In  his  hand 
the  vice-admiral  held  a  broken  sword.  By  his  side 
with  upraised  weapon  was  the  young  Comte  Honore. 

100 


CONFBONTING  THE  MOB  101 

Slightly  in  advance  of  the  two  stood  the  gigantic 
Breboeuf.  He  clasped  a  musket  by  the  barrel  and 
swung  it  lightly  in  the  air  with  a  threatening  move- 
ment. Behind  these  three,  with  their  backs  against 
the  wall,  stood  Aurore  and  Louise.  In  spite  of  her 
greater  size  and  strength  Aurore  cowered  against  her 
mistress.  The  woman  he  loved  stood  erect,  pistol  in 
hand. 

The  crowd  surrounding  the  little  group  was  growing 
with  each  passing  moment.  Mingled  with  the  soldiers 
were  numbers  of  the  wretched  galley-slaves,  scum  of 
society,  making  foul  use  of  their  unexpected  liberty. 
Here  and  there  some  drunken,  dishevelled,  abandoned 
woman,  red  liberty  cap  on  her  frowzy  head,  joined  in 
the  yells  and  shouts  with  which  the  troops  closed  in  on 
their  prey.  These  marauders  urged  the  mob  to  greater 
excesses  by  their  shrieks  and  screams. 

"  Down  with  the  aristocrats !  " 

"  To  the  lantern  with  them  !  " 

"Give  them  a  volley,  men  !    That'll  end  it  quickly." 

"  No,  no,  the  bayonet !  " 

"  Save  the  wenches  !  " 

"  Vive  la  Republique  !  " 

The  very  mass  and  confusion  of  the  crowd  in  the 
street  prevented  the  mob  from  carrying  out  the  cheerful 
suggestions  which  were  made  on  every  hand.  They 
heaved  and  surged  and  swayed  back  and  forth  in  the  nar- 
row way  lighted  by  the  blazing  dwellings  near  at  hand, 
vociferously  yelling,  but  for  the  moment  no  one  moved 
toward  the  party  against  the  wall.  Their  first  reception 


102  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

by  the  marquis  and  Breboeuf  had  not  been  an  hospitable 
one  and  the  front  rank  naturally  held  back. 

The  bayoneting  of  unarmed  men  and  helpless  women 
and  children  was  an  easy  pastime,  but  there  was  some- 
thing menacing  in  the  dauntless  bearing  of  the  old 
marquis,  even  though  he  was  practically  weaponless,  for 
his  sword  had  been  broken  a  few  inches  from  the  guard 
and  the  rest  of  it  stuck  in  the  breast  of  a  dead  man  at  his 
feet ;  and  there  was  something  terribly  threatening  in 
the  appearance  of  the  gigantic  Breton,  who  had  already 
cracked  two  skulls  with  the  butt  of  his  musket,  that 
gave  the  crowd  a  timely  check.  Their  hesitation 
would  be  over  in  a  moment,  however.  Indeed,  that 
slow  surge  toward  the  wall  which  would  soon  develop 
into  a  rapid  rush  had  already  begun  when  Macartney 
and  the  coxswain  burst  upon  the  scene. 

"  These  are  my  people  !  Into  them,  cox'n  !  "  cried 
Macartney,  firing  his  pistol  point-blank  into  the  mob 
and  then  hurling  it  at  the  nearest  man. 

The  coxswain  was  as  quick  as  he  with  his  pistol. 
The  crowd  yelled  in  terror  and  gave  way  in  mad  con- 
fusion as  the  two  men  fell  upon  them.  They  were  both 
big  and  powerful  men,  coming  forward  on  the  run. 
A  ship's  cutlass  at  close  quarters  is  a  terrible  weapon. 
These  had  been  ground  to  a  razor  edge.  The  cox- 
swain literally  cut  in  two  the  nearest  man.  Macartney 
chose  to  thrust.  His  sword-guard  crashed  against  a 
breastbone,  so  fierce  and  powerful  was  his  lunge.  To 
disengage  and  thrust  again  was  the  work  of  a  moment. 
There  was  another  slash  from  the  coxswain.  The  lust  of 


CONFKONTING   THE  MOB  103 

battle  was  on  the  sailor  and  he  was  yelling  like  a  madman. 
Macartney's  play  was  more  silent,  but  none  the  less 
deadly.  The  crowd  was  so  taken  by  surprise  that  for  a 
moment  it  could  make  no  resistance.  The  two  English- 
men were  practically  fighting  unarmed  men.  They  did 
not  hesitate  on  that  account.  In  an  incredible  time  they 
had  cleared  a  space  before  the  marquis  and  his  party. 

The  vice-admiral,  calm  and  serene  as  usual,  had  at 
once  perceived  the  diversion  effected  by  the  flank  attack 
of  the  two  Englishmen.  And  he  had  not  been  idle. 
Hurling  his  broken  weapon  into  the  face  of  the  nearest 
man,  he  wrested  his  sword  from  him,  and  with  surprising 
quickness  ran  it  through  the  man's  body,  springing  back 
on  guard  before  any  one  could  strike  at  him.  Honore, 
too,  had  thrust  valiantly  at  his  nearest  opponent,  while 
Breboauf  had  laid  about  him  terrifically  with  his  empty 
gun.  He  stood  with  his  legs  far  apart  swinging  it  like 
a  flail.  The  next  moment  Macartney  and  the  cox- 
swain ranged  themselves  by  the  side  of  the  marquis  and 
Brebceuf. 

"  It's  Captain  Macartney  !  "  suddenly  cried  the  com- 
tesse,  recognizing  him  in  the  firelight. 

"You  come  in  the  nick  of  time  again,  monsieur," 
said  the  marquis,  coolly,  for  all  his  eyes  were  blazing 
with  excitement.  He  dusted  a  fleck  of  soot  from  his 
sleeve  as  he  spoke,  "but  to  little  purpose,  I  fear." 

"  I  can  at  least  die  with  you,"  answered  Macartney, 
turning  his  head  as  he  spoke  to  let  the  woman  he  loved 
know  that  his  declaration  referred  particularly  and  ex- 
clusively to  her. 


104  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

Indeed,  there  seemed  not  the  slightest  possibility  of 
escape.  They  were  facing  certain  and  immediate  death 
once  more,  and  so  the  young  girl  permitted  some  of  her 
feelings  to  show  in  the  glance  with  which  she  returned 
his  own  ardent  look. 

"  They  are  coming  again  !  "  cried  Honore. 

Such  had  been  the  fury  of  the  onslaught  of  the  Eng- 
lish sailors  and  the  stout  defence  of  the  marquis  and  the 
others  that  the  crowd  had  fallen  back  and  had  left  them 
alone  for  a  brief  space.  It  was  instantly  recognized, 
however,  that  the  diversion  had  been  caused  by  only 
two  men  and  that  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  over- 
whelm them.  With  bayonets  fixed,  therefore,  they  swept 
down  upon  the  little  party.  No  one  thought  of  firing 
upon  them.  Indeed  the  muskets  had  been  discharged 
long  since  and  to  have  reloaded  them  would  have  been 
to  lose  time.  Fortunately  there  were  no  pistols  among 
the  soldiers,  who  were  without  commissioned  officers. 
To  that  fact  and  the  fact  that  their  firearms  were  un- 
available, the  party  owed  their  lives.  One  volley 
would  have  made  short  work  of  them.  As  it  was, 
the  bayonets  of  the  Republicans  were  sufficiently 
formidable. 

This  time  they  came  on  in  some  sort  of  order.  The 
bolder  and  more  expert  naturally  forced  themselves 
into  the  front  line.  The  attack  now  could  not  be 
denied.  The  men  who  fought  wasted  no  breath  in 
shouts,  although  the  noise  from  the  outskirts  of  the 
crowd  grew  greater  than  before.  Bayonet  and  cut- 
lass met  each  other  stoutly.  Brebceuf  got  a  thrust 


CONFRONTING   THE  MOB  105 

through  the  left  arm,  but  still  swung  the  barrel  of  his 
musket  —  the  stock  had  been  beaten  to  pieces  upon 
human  heads  —  with  his  right  arm.  The  marquis  cut 
down  the  first  man,  but  his  sword  was  smashed  by  a 
blow  from  the  butt  of  a  musket  which  knocked  him  to 
the  ground.  Macartney  instantly  sprang  in  front  of 
him,  and  cut  down  his  assailant.  The  coxswain  and 
young  Honore  did  their  parts  equally  well. 

After  a  furious  lunge  Macartney  slipped  on  the 
bloody  stones  of  the  street  and  fell  forward.  He 
recovered  himself  by  a  superhuman  effort,  but  found 
himself  temporarily  weaponless.  The  man  in  front 
of  him  clubbed  his  musket  and  attempted  to  strike 
him  down.  A  pistol  cracked  behind  him  and  the  man 
fell.  Louise  had  fired,  saving  his  life.  Not  taking  time 
even  to  turn  his  head  Macartney  stooped  for  his  sword 
in  the  smoke,  seized  it,  and  went  desperately  for  the 
next  man.  But  the  defenders  had  been  crowded  back 
against  the  wall  now  and  nothing  remained  for  them 
but  to  die  fighting. 

In  the  very  extreme  of  their  peril  a  horseman  dashed 
through  the  crowd  recklessly,  scattering  them  right  and 
left,  and  drew  rein  in  front  of  those  at  bay.  He  was 
followed  by  several  other  mounted  officers,  who  ranged 
themselves  beside  him. 

"  Well,  mes  enfants"  he  cried  in  a  sharp,  high-pitched, 
authoritative  voice,  which  was  heard  distinctly  above 
the  noise  of  the  crowd,  "  what  have  we  here  ?  " 

"  Aristocrats  I "  cried  a  burly  sergeant  who  seemed 
to  be  in  charge  of  the  mob  of  soldiers. 


106  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Down  with  the  aristocrats  !  "  cried  the  little  officer, 
instantly. 

"  Ay,  down  with  them  !  Down  with  them  !  "  yelled 
the  crowd. 

"They  have  slain  a  dozen  of  our  men,  Citizen 
Captain  !  " 

"  Leave  them  to  me,  my  brave  friends,"  said  the  cap- 
tain, quickly.  "  I'll  see  they  are  well  punished.  There 
is  little  to  be  gained  from  them  and  there's  glorious 
pillage  farther  on.  En  avant  !  " 

"  Who  is  he  that  interposes  between  us  and  our  ven- 
geance ?  "  cried  a  soldier,  suddenly.  "  Are  you  an  aris- 
tocrat, citizen?" 

"  God  forbid  !  "  said  the  little  officer,  lifting  his  huge 
cocked  hat.  "  Long  live  the  Republic  I  " 

"This  is  the  officer  who  established  the  'Battery 
of  the  Fearless  ! ' "  cried  a  young  officer  near  the  little 
captain. 

"  Comrade,  I  was  there  !  "  yelled  a  soldier,  striking  his 
breast.  "  'Tis  the  very  man  !  " 

"  It's  the  little  captain  of  artillery  !  "  cried  another. 

"  Ay,  he  led  the  assault  on  the  promontory  last  night ! 
I  was  with  him  !  "  screamed  a  third. 

"  Long  live  the  citizen  captain  !  "  roared  the  mob. 

"  General  since  last  night,  by  permission  of  the  con- 
vention," cried  one  of  the  other  officers. 

The  little  officer  looked  very  small  on  his  huge  white 
horse.  He  was  very  pale  of  face  and  slender  of  person. 
He  stared  at  the  crowd  from  his  bright  eyes,  appar- 
ently unaffected  by  their  enthusiasm  and  approval. 


CONFRONTING   THE   MOB  107 

There  was  something  in  his  glance  that  moved  men 
strangely.  The  yelling  died  away  as  he  faced  the 
mob. 

"  You  know  me  then,  my  braves  ?  "  he  asked  at  last, 
quietly  enough.  "  No  one  serves  the  Republic  better 
than  I.  Leave  me  these  aristocrats.  There  is  better 
plunder  farther  on." 

"  Long  live  the  little  general  !  "  shouted  one. 

"  Come  on  !  "  cried  another  from  the  surging  crowd, 
as  the  cheer  died  away. 

In  another  moment  the  soldiers  and  the  people  began 
to  move  along  the  street.  The  officer  on  the  white 
horse  turned  to  the  marquis. 

"  Go,"  he  said,  "  while  you  have  time  !  We  can't 
stop  this  slaughter  everywhere." 

There  was  a  look  of  pity,  of  horror,  of  contempt, 
upon  his  handsome  face  as  he  spoke.  It  was  easy  to 
see  what  his  opinion  was  of  the  laxity  of  discipline 
which  permitted  such  scenes.  And  woe  be  to  the 
soldier  or  civilian  who  would  dare  to  cross  his  will 
when  he  acquired  power  in  consonance  with  his  evident 
capacity. 

"  Monsieur,  you  seem  to  be  a  gentleman,"  said  the 
marquis,  contemptuously.  "  This  is  what  comes  of  a 
Republic  !  " 

"  If  you  are  wise,"  repeated  the  little  captain 
quickly,  "  you  will  not  bandy  words,  but  go  while 
you  have  time." 

"  Whither  ?  " 

"  This  way,"  said  Macartney,  pointing  down  the  nar- 


108  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

row  alley  still  dark.  Without  a  word  the  marquis  turned 
away.  He  disdained  to  have  anything  to  do  with  any 
one  representing  the  Republic. 

"  Sir,"  said  Macartney,  who  was  not  so  exacting,  "  you 
have  done  us  a  great  service.  What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  "Pis  of  no  consequence  —  yet,  sir  !  Go  !  I  cannot 
help  you  further,"  responded  the  officer,  striking  spur 
to  his  steed. 

There  was  wisdom  in  the  counsel.  Macartney  turned 
at  once.  Taking  the  comtesse  by  the  hand,  a  service 
which  the  coxswain  performed  for  Aurore,  with 
Brebceuf  and  the  boy  and  the  marquis  in  the  lead, 
Macartney  urged  the  fugitives  rapidly  down  the  dark 
street.  The  next  cross  street,  the  only  one  between 
them  and  the  wharf,  was  filled  with  a  larger  crowd 
than  the  other.  They  paused  in  the  darkness  on  the 
edge  of  it. 

"We  shall  never  win  through,"  said  the  marquis, 
quickly. 

"  We  must !  "  cried  Macartney.  "  Follow  me,"  he 
said  boldly,  after  a  moment's  thought.  Before  him 
he  saw  a  red  cap,  the  characteristic  bonnet  of  the 
Republic,  lying  in  the  street.  He  took  off  his  coat 
and  threw  it  with  his  cocked  hat  back  in  the  darkness 
of  the  alley.  Then  he  put  on  the  red  liberty  cap. 

"  Don't  say  a  word  !  "  he  whispered  to  the  coxswain 
as  they  entered  the  street.  "If  you  value  your  life, 
silence,  and  follow  me  !  " 

The  marquis  started  to  expostulate  when  he  saw  the 
red  cap. 


CONFRONTING  THE  MOB  109 

"  Not  a  word  I "  cried  Macartney,  urging  him 
forward. 

In  a  moment  they  were  in  the  middle  of  the  street. 

"  Who  comes  here  ?  "  cried  a  party  of  soldiers,  stop- 
ping their  progress. 

"  Vive  la  Rdpullique  !  "  instantly  cried  Macartney  in 
the  excellent  French  of  which  he  was  a  master.  "  Be- 
hold, comrades,  a  party  of  aristocrats  I  have  captured!  " 

The  marquis,  without  hesitation,  instantly  gave  color 
to  Macartney's  assertion  ;  for,  when  he  heard  Macart- 
ney cheering  for  the  Republic,  as  a  matter  of  honor  he 
shouted  "  Vive  le  Hoi  !  " 

"  Silence,  you  fool !  "  shouted  Macartney  in  a  threat- 
ening manner.  "  Come  on  !  " 

"  Better  kill  the  aristocrats  at  once,  comrade,"  cried 
one  of  the  soldiers. 

"  No,  I  keep  them  for  my  own  purposes.    Let  us  pass ! " 

"  Way  there  !  "  cried  a  sub-officer,  who  seemed  to  be 
in  command  ;  "  let  the  brave  citizen  pass." 

"  We  lose  time,"  growled  another.  "  En  want, 
comrades  I " 

The  procession  through  the  street,  which  had  tem- 
porarily slowed  up,  surged  toward  the  quays  again,  and 
Macartney,  every  sense  strung  to  its  highest  tension, 
half  led,  half  forced  his  party  across  the  street.  Just 
as  they  reached  the  other  side,  the  coxswain  stumbled. 
He  ripped  out  a  round  British  oath  as  he  fell  almost 
into  the  arms  of  one  of  the  Republican  soldiers.  His 
nationality  was  discovered  at  once.  There  was  some- 
thing about  the  whole  party  that  was  suspicious. 


110  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  They  are  Englishmen  !  "  roared  a  man,  catching 
the  coxswain  by  the  shoulder. 

The  sailor  balled  his  fist  and  stopped  further  expla- 
nation by  a  terrific  blow  upon  the  jaw  of  his  enemy. 
The  damage  had  been  done,  however.  The  cry  alarmed 
the  crowd,  which  once  more  halted  and  faced  toward 
the  alley. 

A  stout,  burly  man,  with  his  arm  in  a  sling,  forced 
his  way  to  the  front.  In  the  light  the  marquis  recog- 
nized the  face  of  Garron,  and  that  worthy  instantly 
discovered  the  old  man. 

"  'Tis  the  ci-devant  Marquis  de  Vaudemont !  "  roared 
Garron,  "  and  Englishmen  !  At  them,  citizens ! " 

"  We  must  run  for  it !  "  cried  Macartney. 

"  From  this  canaille !  Never  !  "  said  the  marquis, 
but  the  Irishman  did  not  wait  a  second. 

Tightening  his  hold  upon  the  young  comtesse,  with 
his  other  hand  he  grabbed  the  smaller  man  by  the  arm, 
although  to  do  so  he  was  forced  to  drop  his  sword. 
Shouting  to  the  others,  he  plunged  down  the  alley 
in  the  darkness.  It  would  have  been  easy  for  the 
Republicans  to  have  caught  them  had  they  known 
just  what  to  do.  They  had  gone  some  distance,  how- 
ever, before  the  mob  realized  what  had  happened. 
Then,  instead  of  pursuing,  those  nearest  the  alley 
levelled  their  pieces  and  fired  in  the  direction  of  the 
fugitives. 

One  bullet  cut  across  Macartney's  forehead,  covering 
his  face  with  blood  in  an  instant.  Another  nicked  the 
arm  of  the  comtesse.  Breboeuf  got  a  third  in  the 


CONFRONTING   THE   MOB  111 

shoulder.     A  fourth  tore  the  hat  from  the  coxswain. 
The  rest  of  the  party  were  uninjured. 

A  faint  scream  from  the  woman  by  his  side  apprised 
Macartney  that  she  whom  he  loved  was  wounded. 
Instantly  the  Irishman  released  the  marquis  and  picked 
her  up  in  his  arms.  He  did  it  on  the  dead  run,  not 
checking  his  pace  for  a  second.  The  sound  of  the 
firing  had  taken  away  from  the  marquis  all  desire  to 
remain.  His  dignity  was  hopelessly  shattered  by  this 
time  in  the  wild  flight,  and  he  valiantly  kept  up  with 
the  rest. 

A  few  steps  brought  them  to  the  wharf.  The  alley 
was  now  filled  with  a  mass  of  soldiers  running  toward 
them.  The  boat  was  not  at  the  landing,  but  as  they 
reached  it  she  shot  out  of  the  darkness,  fairly  jumping 
forward  under  the  eager  stroke  of  her  oarsmen. 

"  This  way,  men  !  "  shouted  Macartney.  "  Marines, 
out  on  the  wharf  !  Bear  a  hand.  For  our  lives  !  " 

"  Hold  water  !  "  cried  Mr,  Hoste  from  the  stern 
sheets  of  the  cutter.  "  Stern  all  !  Ship  your  oars  to 
starboard  there  !  Now,  out  with  you  I  " 

His  readiness  and  skill  had  brought  the  boat  to  the 
landing  without  the  loss  of  a  moment.  Before  she  was 
fairly  alongside  the  marines  leaped  for  the  stairs. 

"  Give  them  a  volley  !  "  shouted  Macartney  as  they 
passed  him.  "  Lively  !  " 

The  alley  was  dark,  but  the  light  from  the  street  be- 
hind threw  the  figures  of  the  approaching  Frenchmen 
into  relief.  The  marines  were  firing  from  darkness  to 
the  light  and  their  range  was  point-blank.  The  whole 


112  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

front  of  the  Republicans  went  down  before  the  well- 
aimed  volley  of  the  sea  soldiers.  The  discharge  was  in 
the  nature  of  a  surprise.  The  advance  of  the  mob  was 
checked  ;  they  were  thrown  into  confusion. 

Under  cover  of  the  volley  Macartney  had  passed  the 
women,  the  marquis,  and  the  young  Comte  Honore  to 
the  stern  sheets.  The  coxswain  took  his  accustomed 
place  in  the  coxswain's  box.  Then  the  sailor  called  the 
marines  into  the  boat,  Brebceuf  crowded  among  them, 
the  officer  scrambled  aboard  and  thrust  the  cutter 
violently  from  the  shore.  Macartney  stood  in  the  bow 
and  called  for  the  men  at  the  oars,  who  were  all  armed 
with  heavy  pistols,  to  pass  up  their  weapons.  In  a 
moment  the  six  marines,  with  himself  and  Brebceuf, 
found  themselves  once  more  armed. 

The  Republican  soldiers,  recovering  from  their  sur- 
prise, came  running  down  the  alley  and  swarmed  out  on 
the  landing-stage.  Beneath  them,  a  few  feet  away,  was 
the  boat.  The  men  had  broken  out  their  oars  and  were 
pulling  lustily  toward  the  frigate.  As  they  drew  past 
the  storehouses  they  came  fairly  within  the  zone  of  light 
from  the  burning  ships.  A  cry  of  rage  broke  from  the 
soldiery. 

"  Fire  upon  them,  men,  fire  I "  ordered  Macartney, 
lifting  his  pistol. 

The  range  was  short,  and  several  men  fell  from  the 
volley  which  was  delivered.  The  boat  had  swung 
by  this  time  and  was  fairly  jumping  through  the  water, 
increasing  its  distance  from  the  wharf  at  every  stroke. 
The  mass  of  soldiers  had  previously  discharged  their 


CONFRONTING   THE  MOB  113 

pieces.  A  few,  however,  ran  to  the  edge  and  fired  at 
the  boat.  One  of  the  marines  was  hit  and  instantly 
killed.  One  of  the  oars  was  smashed,  but  otherwise  no 
damage  was  done.  Before  another  volley  could  be  fired 
the  cutter  was  out  of  range.  Macartney  called  out  to 
see  if  any  one  else  had  been  hurt,  and  being  informed 
in  the  negative  directed  Mr.  Hoste  to  bring  the  boat 
alongside  the  frigate. 

He  had  not  attempted  to  get  back  to  the  stern  sheets, 
on  account  of  the  crowd  already  aboard  the  cutter, 
which  was  sunk  almost  to  the  gunwales.  Hoste,  a  very 
capable  young  officer,  performed  his  duty  with  skill,  and 
the  cutter  was  soon  close  aboard  the  ship. 

There  was  no  accommodation  ladder  shipped ;  there 
was  no  time  for  it.  The  situation  was  most  precarious. 
The  marquis  scrambled  up  the  side  battens  as  nimbly, 
however,  as  he  had  done  when  a  midshipman.  The 
young  comtesse  hesitated  a  second,  but  under  the  im- 
perious urging  of  Macartney,  who  gave  her  such  assist- 
ance as  he  could,  she  soon  gained  the  deck.  Aurore 
was  unceremoniously  driven  aboard  ;  the  rest  followed 
with  alacrity.  The  boat  was  dropped  astern,  the 
tackles  hooked  on,  the  falls  manned  by  half  the  crew, 
and  it  was  run  up  to  the  davits  in  short  order. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  DASH  OP  THE  INCONSTANT 

THE  Inconstant  was  the  last  English  ship  in  the 
harbor.  From  where  she  lay  she  was  comparatively 
immune  from  the  enemy's  fire.  So  soon  as  she  got 
under  way,  however,  she  would  be  compelled  to  run 
the  gantlet  of  the  French  batteries.  Macartney  had 
done  magnificently  with  the  force  at  his  command. 
He  looked  back  upon  the  work  of  destruction  with  a 
glow  of  satisfaction  now.  He  could  enjoy  it  since  the 
woman  he  loved  was  safe  through  his  agency  and 
aboard  his  own  ship.  Triumphantly  he  gave  orders  to 
get  under  way. 

"  Shall  we  cut  the  cable  and  run,  sir,"  asked  Frazier, 
his  first  lieutenant. 

"  No,"  he  replied,  "  there  is  no  use  wasting  anything. 
They  cannot  do  us  much  damage  here  and  they  can't 
do  us  any  more  damage  yonder,"  pointing  to  the  chan- 
nel, "on  account  of  a  few  moments'  delay.  Weigh 
anchor,  sir,  and  get  under  way  in  proper  style.  We'll 
do  this  thing  up  handsomely  and  show  those  lubbers 
what  a  British  ship  can  do." 

In  a  moment  the  messenger  was  passed,  the  capstan 
was  manned,  and  the  rapid  clinking  of  the  pawls  pro- 

114 


THE   DASH   OP  THE  INCONSTANT  115 

claimed  that  the  anchor  would  soon  be  broken  out 
under  the  heavy  heaving  of  the  eager  crew. 

The  Inconstant  was  riding  to  an  off-shore  breeze  and 
a  strong  ebb.  Her  own  crew  was  reenforced  by  the 
boat  details  from  the  other  ships  which  had  been  used 
in  the  burning  of  the  French  fleet.  There  were  hands 
and  to  spare  for  everything.  Consequently  the  cable 
was  hove  short  in  an  unusually  brief  time.  As  Macart- 
ney had  said,  it  was  not  necessary  to  cut  cables  or 
throw  away  anything,  but  nevertheless  they  had  no 
time  to  spare.  The  quicker  they  got  out  of  the  harbor 
the  better.  They  were  out  of  musket  shot  of  the 
wharves,  but  if  the  Republicans  brought  up  a  battery 
of  guns  —  which  they  certainly  would  do  —  they  could 
make  it  very  interesting  for  the  frigate,  which  would 
be  prevented  from  returning  their  fire  by  the  helpless 
mob  of  women  and  children  and  non-combatants  who 
were  being  butchered  before  their  very  eyes.  Therefore 
Macartney  rejoiced  greatly  when  the  master  sang  out:  — 

"  Avast  heaving !    Short  stay,  sir  !  " 

Macartney  chose  to  take  his  ship  out  himself.  Seiz- 
ing the  trumpet,  he  called  out, 

"  Pawl  the  capstan  !  " 

Eager  hands  stoppered  the  cable  and  unshipped  the 
bars. 

"  Lay  aloft,  sail  loosers !  "  cried  the  captain. 

In  an  instant  the  shrouds  were  shaking  under  the 
nimble  feet  of  the  alert  topmen.  In  an  incredibly  short 
time  to  a  landsman,  the  men  had  gained  their  stations 
and  stood  clustered  around  the  mastheads  on  the  yards. 


116  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

"  Lay  out  and  loose  !  "  roared  Macartney,  and,  as  the 
men  swung  along  the  foot-ropes  to  the  yard-arms,  "  Man 
the  topsail  sheets  and  halyards  !  " 

Meanwhile  alert  young  seamen  scampered  out  on  the 
sweeping  headbooms  and  loosed  the  jibs.  The  after- 
guard was  busy  casting  off  the  lashings  of  the  spanker. 

"  Smartly,  men  I  "  shouted  Macartney.  "  We'll 
show  these  Frenchmen  what  an  English  frigate  can 
do!" 

In  a  brief  space  the  reports  of  the  several  officers  in- 
dicated that  all  was  ready  throughout  the  ship. 

"  Stand  by  !  "  called  Macartney  in  his  stentorian 
tones.  "  Let  fall !  Sheet  home  I  Lay  in  I  " 

The  topmen  once  more  swung  themselves  along  the 
foot-ropes  and  clustered  about  the  masts,  while  the  men 
on  deck  ran  the  clews  of  the  sails  down  to  the  yard-arms. 
Casting  a  glance  aloft  to  see  if  the  yards  were  clear, 
Macartney  shouted  again  :  — 

"  Down  from  aloft  1  " 

Once  more  the  shrouds  shook  and  quivered  under 
the  feet  of  the  men.  A  few  hands  remained  aloft  to 
see  that  the  gear  did  not  foul  and  to  overhaul  the  rig- 
ging. So  soon  as  the  men  were  clear  of  the  yards 
Macartney  gave  the  next  order. 

"  Ease  away  the  tops'l  clewlines  !  Tend  the  braces  ! 
Set  taut !  Hoist  away  the  tops'ls  !  " 

The  ordinary  crew  for  a  heavy  frigate  like  the  Incon- 
stant was  four  hundred  men.  There  were  at  least  six 
hundred  on  the  decks,  so  many  that  all  of  them  could 
scarcely  get  hold  of  the  falls  of  the  halyards.  The 


THE   DASH   OF   THE  INCONSTANT  117 

ponderous  yards  were  mastheaded,  as  the  sails  had  been 
sheeted  home,  like  magic.  In  an  instant  the  ship  rang 
with  the  cries  from  the  officers. 

"  Belay  the  maintops'l  halyards  !  " 

"  High  enough  the  fore  !  " 

"  Well  with  the  mizzen  !  " 

Macartney  elected  to  cast  to  starboard,  as  such  a  pro- 
ceeding would  bring  him  farther  away  from  the  most 
dangerous  battery  on  the  promontory. 

"  Man  the  port  head,  starboard  after  braces !  "  he 
shouted.  "  Clear  away  the  bowlines  !  Tend  the 
braces !  Haul  taut  !  Brace  up  !  Brace  abox  !  " 

The  effect  of  this  manoeuvre  was  to  present  the  vast 
expanse  of  the  foretopsail  fairly  to  the  wind,  so  that  so 
soon  as  the  anchor  was  let  go  the  ship's  head  would  be 
driven  to  starboard.  She  would  make  a  half  circle 
and  point  fair  for  the  entrance  to  the  harbor.  Ma- 
cartney intended  to  cast  under  topsails  alone,  as  the 
wind  was  fresh,  and  so  soon  as  he  got  under  way  to 
set  the  topgallant  sails  and  royals  if  she  would  bear 
them.  The  instant  the  head-yards  were  braced  abox 
he  shouted :  — 

"  Man  the  capstan  1 " 

The  heavy  bars  were  shipped  and  swiftered.  The 
eager  men  sprang  to  them  and  heaved  mightily,  drag- 
ging the  great  ship  up  to  the  anchor,  which  in  a 
moment  was  reported. 

"  Up  and  down,  sir !  " 

After  another  tremendous  surge  around,  the  iron 
flukes  were  broken  from  their  holding,  when  — 


118  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

"Man  the  jib  and  flying  jib  halyards!  Helm 
alee!"  came  from  the  captain. 

Instantly  the  bow  of  the  frigate  began  to  pay  off 
under  the  thrust  of  the  foretopsail.  So  soon  as  the 
head-sails  would  draw  the  order  came  :  — 

"Let  go  the  downhauls  and  hoist  away!  Avast 
heaving,  pawl  the  capstan  !  " 

Under  the  influence  of  her  present  sail  the  Incon- 
stant, a  swift,  handy,  and  beautiful  ship,  as  were  all  the 
French  models,  spun  around  on  her  heel  as  gracefully 
as  a  lady  at  a  dance.  She  trembled  before  the  wind 
for  a  moment  as  if  uncertain  what  to  do  next.  Her 
master  was  on  the  quarter-deck,  however,  watching  her, 
conning  her,  like  a  lover. 

"  Right  the  helm  !  "  shouted  the  captain.  "  Brace 
around  the  head-yards !  Haul  out  the  spanker  sheets ! 
Lay  aloft,  light  yardmen  !  Loose  the  to'gallan's'ls  and 
r'yals!" 

In  a  very  short  time  after  the  first  order  was  given 
the  frigate  was  heading  straight  through  the  channel, 
with  the  wind  on  her  quarter,  going  furiously. 

"  Very  handsomely  done,  sir,"  said  the  old  marquis, 
who  had  stood  back  of  the  captain  noting  every 
manoeuvre  with  the  greatest  pleasure  and  approbation. 

"Thank  you,  sir." 

"You  will  not  get  past  without  a  shot,  though," 
continued  the  vice-admiral,  his  glance  sweeping  the 
shore. 

"Ay,  sir.  'Twill  be  warm  work  for  the  moment. 
But  the  ship  is  a  fast  goer.  We'll  soon  draw  out 


THE  DASH   OF  THE  INCONSTANT  119 

from  the  batteries  unless  they  should  cripple  us  by  a 
lucky  shot." 

"  They  are  poor  gunners,  these  Republicans." 

"  Yes,"  said  Macartney.  "  They  are  learning,  how- 
ever. Perhaps  you  would  be  safer  below,  Admiral." 

The  marquis  smiled. 

"I  never  went  below  on  a  ship  in  action  in  all  my 
life,  and  I  do  not  propose  to  do  so  now.  But  you, 
Louise  —  " 

"  I  stay  with  you,  sir,"  answered  the  girl,  who  was 
looking  at  Macartney  as  if  he  had  been  a  god. 

"  Mr.  Frazier,"  said  Macartney  to  his  first  lieutenant, 
as  he  handed  him  his  trumpet,  "get  the  men  to  their 
quarters.  Cast  loose  and  provide  both  batteries. 
Double-shot  the  guns.  We'll  get  it  from  both  sides. 
Let  the  lieutenants  station  the  new  hands  among  our 
own  crew.  Thank  God,  we've  plenty  of  men ! " 

In  a  moment  the  grim  rattling  of  the  drum  beating 
to  quarters  started  everybody  to  activity.  The  crowded 
decks  after  an  instant  of  apparent  confusion  cleared 
like  magic.  Around  every  cannon  there  was  a  little 
cluster  of  men  busily  engaged  in  casting  loose  and 
providing  the  war  monsters  they  served;  powder- 
boys  scampered  hither  and  thither  carrying  the  charges 
of  powder ;  lighted  loggerheads  gleamed  in  the  dark- 
ness. They  had  begun  to  draw  far  enough  away  from 
the  burning  ships  in  the  harbor  and  the  flaming  town 
to  get  into  the  shadow  of  the  night.  In  a  few  moments 
the  first  lieutenant  reported  all  was  ready.  Macartney's 
glance  swept  the  outer  harbor,  the  entrance  to  which 


120  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

they  were  approaching.  It  would  be  perhaps  five  or 
ten  minutes  before  they  would  be  fairly  abreast  the 
batteries. 

"  Hold  on  as  you  are,  Mr.  Frazier,"  said  Macartney, 
turning  toward  his  cabin.  "I  shall  return  in  a  few 
moments." 

"  You  are  wounded ! "  said  Louise,  putting  out  a 
detaining  hand  as  he  passed  her.  "I  have  watched 
you  —  wanted  to  help  you  —  but  you  had  no  time." 

"  'Tis  a  trifle,  mademoiselle,"  answered  the  happy 
Macartney,  in  truth  very  glad  that  the  bullet  had 
touched  him  where  it  did. 

"And  you  were  wounded  for  me,"  added  the  girl. 
"Let  me  help  you." 

"Sure  an'  I  wouldn't  object  if  it  had  taken  off  an 
arm  if  it  was  in  your  service,  mademoiselle  I " 

"  Your  face  is  covered  with  blood,  monsieur  I  " 

"  I  must  be  a  very  nice-looking  spectacle,"  said  the 
captain,  feeling  his  cheek,  on  which  the  blood  had 
dried. 

"Won't  you  have  a  doctor?" 

"  He  is  busy  forward  with  those  poor  fellows  who  are 
seriously  hurt." 

"  I  have  some  little  skill.     Won't  you  let  me  —  " 

"But  it  is  nothing,  I  tell  you." 

"  I  insist !  Grandfather,  I  wish  to  dress  Captain 
Macartney's  wound  for  him." 

"  By  all  means,"  said  the  marquis.  "  Do  what  you 
can  for  him,  my  child.  We  owe  him  much." 

"  We'll  return  in  a  moment,  sir,"  said  Macartney,  now 


THE   DASH   OF   THE  INCONSTANT  121 

eager  to  be  alone  with  the  woman  he  loved,  if  only  for  a 
minute. 

He  led  the  way  into  the  cabin.  The  frigate  had  a 
raised  poop  and  the  captain's  quarters  opened  upon  the 
quarter-deck.  He  thanked  God  as  he  went  that  the 
marquis  was  so  interested  in  the  passage  of  the  forts 
that  he  had  not  followed.  The  marquis  was  the  pink 
of  propriety,  and  he  would  never  have  permitted  such 
an  interview  under  other  circumstances.  He  actually 
viewed  Macartney  as  he  might  have  regarded  some 
humble  gentleman  attached  to  his  house.  Even  Aurore 
was  busy  between  Breboeuf  and  the  coxswain,  who 
seemed  to  think  he  had  a  certain  privilege  in  her  soci- 
ety because  he  had  dragged  her  shrieking  through  the 
streets.  In  her  agitation  Louise  forgot  to  call  her 
maid. 

The  cabin  of  the  frigate  was  a  spacious  one ;  a  swing- 
ing lamp  from  the  ceiling  gave  plenty  of  light.  By 
Louise's  direction  Macartney  procured  a  basin  of  water, 
a  towel,  and  a  pair  of  scissors  from  his  stateroom  oppo- 
site. He  placed  them  on  a  table  and  sat  down  beside 
it.  The  girl  stepped  behind  him,  pressing  her  fingers 
to  his  head  and  bending  it  toward  the  light. 

"  Why,  it's  a  deep  gash  !  "  she  exclaimed. 

"  Faith,"  said  Macartney,  smiling,  "  your  fingers  are 
more  deadly  than  the  enemy's  bullet,  mademoiselle.  I 
did  not  feel  that,  but  your  touch  is  more  than  I  can 
stand." 

"  Is  this  the  time  for  jesting,  monsieur  ?  "  interrupted 
the  girl,  severely. 


122  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

The  next  instant  she  began  to  cut  away  the  hair  from 
about  the  wound.  The  bullet  had  glanced  upward 
along  the  cheek  and  passed  over  the  temple.  Much 
of  Macartney's  curly  hair  on  that  side  of  his  head 
was  matted  with  coagulated  blood.  In  a  moment  she 
had  bared  the  place,  then  with  deft  fingers  she  washed 
it,  wiped  it  with  the  towel,  and  looked  about  as  if  for 
something  softer  as  a  bandage. 

"  Haven't  you  anything  better  than  this  ?  "  she  asked 
him,  lifting  the  towel;  "the  linen  is  so  coarse." 

"  Nothing,  I  am  afraid,"  smiled  Macartney.  "  That's 
good  enough  for  a  sailor." 

"  Turn  away  your  head,  monsieur ;  do  not  look,"  said 
the  girl,  coming  to  a  sudden  resolution. 

There  was  a  sound  as  of  some  one  stooping,  then  a 
sudden  long  and  one  short  pull.  Macartney  would 
have  given  anything  to  have  looked  round. 

"  It's  part  of  my  linen  skirt,"  she  said,  binding  the 
soft  cloth  around  his  head.  "  'Tis  the  best  I  can  do." 

"  An  angel  could  do  no  better. " 

"  Now,  monsieur,  how  do  you  feel  ?  " 

"  Comtesse,"  said  Macartney,  fervently,  with  Celtic 
extravagance,  "  I  wish  it  had  taken  off  my  head  —  the 
bullet,  I  mean.  Then  you  would  not  have  finished  with 
me  so  soon." 

He  rose  to  his  feet  as  he  spoke  and  accidentally 
brushed  against  her  arm.  He  noticed  that  she  winced 
as  if  with  pain. 

"  What !  "  he  cried  in  dismay,  and  with  remorse  in 
his  voice.  "  You  were  hurt,  too,  and  I  forgot  it !  " 


THE  DASH   OF  THE  INCONSTANT  123 

"  You  did  not  forget  it  when  you  —  you  picked  me 
up  and  ran  with  me.  Oh,  monsieur,  how  could  you  ?  " 
She  blushed  painfully  at  the  recollection,  and  yet  it 
had  been  rather  pleasant  after  all.  She  found  herself 
agreeing  with  him  when  he  said  boldly  :  — 

"  I'd  like  a  chance  to  do  it  again  !  But  your  wound, 
mademoiselle  ?  Let  me  see  it." 

"  It  is  nothing,"  she  said  softly.    "  Merely  a  touch." 

"  Yes.  That's  what  I  said  about  mine,  and  you  con- 
vinced me  that  it  was  very  serious  indeed.  It's  my 
turn  now.  Where  is  it  ?  " 

"  There  !  "  pointing  to  her  left  arm. 

Whipping  out  his  knife,  he  gently  slit  the  sleeve. 
There  was  a  little  nick  about  half  an  inch  long  in  the 
upper  part  of  her  arm.  The  bullet  had  just  broken  the 
skin,  but  it  was  an  ugly -looking  spot  in  the  soft,  white 
flesh  of  that  sweet,  round  young  arm.  If  she  had 
lost  her  arm,  Macartney  could  not  have  made  more  to- 
do  about  it.  He  washed  it  tenderly,  and  handled  it  as 
if  it  had  been  a  baby.  Then  in  reckless  daring  he  bent 
and  kissed  it. 

"  Your  treatment  differs  from  mine,  monsieur,"  said 
the  girl,  protesting  faintly. 

"  Faith,  yes.  I  think  it's  an  improvement  on  yours," 
said  Macartney,  "  and  it  isn't  too  late  to  try  it  on  me  if 
you  like  the  effect.  Now,  if  I  only  had  something  to 
bind  it  up  with.  Here,  let  me  give  you  this." 

He  lifted  his  hand  to  the  bandage  about  his  head. 

"  I  have  more,  monsieur,  if  you  will  turn  your  back," 
said  the  girl. 


124  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

In  another  moment  she  placed  a  slender  piece  of  linen 
in  his  hand. 

"  How  beautifully  you  tie  knots,"  she  said,  as  she 
noted  his  skilful  handiwork. 

"  There  is  one  knot  I'd  like  to  tie  — " 

"  And  that  one  ?  "  she  asked  him  incautiously. 

"Is  the  one  that  would  bind  us  together,  mademoiselle." 

"  I  am  for  France,  monsieur,"  she  answered,  shaking 
her  head. 

"  This  for  France,"  he  cried,  slipping  his  arm  about 
her  waist.  He  stooped  over  and  bent  to  kiss  her  lips. 
She  did  not  struggle  or  shrink  away. 

"  Monsieur  !  "  she  cried.     "  Mercy  ! " 

There  was  such  piteous  entreaty  in  her  voice  as  if  he 
were  so  strong  and  she  so  weak  that  he  stopped  just 
when  the  kiss  was  within  reach.  Such  forbearance 
was  a  new  thing  for  Macartney.  The  girl  waited  a 
second  and  then  her  head  dropped  before  him.  He 
released  her  and  as  he  did  so  he  bent  and  kissed  her 
golden  hair  with  respectful  tenderness. 

"  You  saved  my  life,"  she  murmured  in  self -justifi- 
cation. 

"That  privilege  pays  for  it  already,"  he  answered 
softly.  "  Besides,  that  shot  when  I  lost  my  sword  ! 
You  saved  mine  and  'tis  yours  always.  Oh,  mademoi- 
selle —  Louise  "  —  he  took  both  her  hands  in  a  warm, 
passionate  clasp  — "  believe  me,  I  love  you  with  my 
whole  soul !  " 

There  was  a  noise  at  the  door  and  Mr.  Hoste  entered 
the  cabin. 


THE  DASH   Off  THE  INCONSTANT  125 

"Mr.  Frazier  says  we  are  coming  down  upon  the 
batteries  very  fast,  sir." 

"I  am  coming,  Mr.  Hoste.  Go  below,  comtesse," 
said  Macartney.  "  You  will  be  safer  there." 

He  turned  instantly  and  stepped  out  upon  the  deck. 
Already  the  batteries  in  the  forts  were  firing  toward 
the  ship.  The  water  all  around  her  was  cut  into  jets 
of  spray  by  the  glancing  shot.  Macartney  ran  up  the 
ladder  and  stood  at  the  break  of  the  poop  where  he 
could  see  everything. 

"Let  no  one  fire  under  pain  of  death  until  I  give 
the  order,"  he  called  out  to  the  men  in  the  batteries. 
"  We'll  pour  a  smashing  broadside  into  them  on  either 
hand  and  so  win  through  in  the  smoke." 

"'Twill  be  close  work,  sir,"  said  the  marquis,  who 
had  joined  him. 

"Ay,  but  we  shall  make  it  right  enough,  sir." 

The  shots  from  the  shore  were  coming  quicker  then. 
One  from  a  heavy  gun,  better  aimed  than  the  rest, 
crossed  the  deck  and  tore  a  great  hole  in  the  mainsail. 
Another  carried  away  the  forward  swifter  of  the  star- 
board foreshrouds.  A  third  struck  down  a  man  in  the 
forecastle. 

"  Another  moment  and  we'll  be  abreast  of  them," 
urged  the  vice-admiral,  his  soul  kindling  at  the  prospect 
of  action. 

"  I  know  it,"  said  Macartney,  coolly. 

The  batteries  on  the  shore  were  blazing  furiously 
now.  Shot  was  hurled  upon  them  from  every  direc- 
tion. 


126  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Stand  by  !  "  shouted  the  captain. 

As  he  spoke  there  was  a  crash  above  his  head.  The 
main  topgallant  mast  had  been  carried  away  by  a  shot 
and  hung  in  a  tangled  mass  of  wreckage  thrashing  to 
leeward.  The  wind  was  sweeping  through  the  top- 
hamper  with  increasing  force.  She  was  carrying  all 
she  could  stand,  and  a  touch  meant  a  lost  spar  or  sail. 
Well,  there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  hold  on  now. 
Macartney  cast  one  glance  upward,  and  seeing  that  the 
damage  was  not  so  serious  as  it  might  have  been,  he 
lifted  the  trumpet  and  shouted :  — 

"Fire!" 

The  frigate  quivered  and  shivered  from  truck  to 
keelson  with  the  shock  of  the  two  mighty  broadsides. 
Her  forty  heavy  guns  hurled  a  very  tempest  of  iron 
toward  the  shore  on  either  hand.  The  broadside  did 
much  execution.  The  fire  that  was  returned  as  she 
rushed  forward  into  her  own  smoke,  driven  ahead  by 
the  fierce  wind,  was  sputtering  and  ineffectual.  As 
they  raced  past  the  promontory  Macartney  put  his 
helm  down,  brought  the  ship  by  the  wind,  and,  taking 
a  bone  in  her  teeth,  she  bore  up  for  the  open  sea. 

One  effect  of  his  manoeuvre  was  greatly  to  diminish 
the  size  of  the  target  at  which  the  shore  batteries  must 
aim,  although  by  doing  so  he  increased  the  vulnerability 
of  the  ship,  since  he  presented  her  stern  to  the  enemy, 
but  she  was  going  at  such  a  speed  and  the  Republicans 
were  such  poor  gunners,  owing  perhaps  to  the  confusion 
caused  by  her  tremendous  broadsides,  that  the  frigate 
was  soon  out  of  danger. 


THE   DASH   OF   THE  INCONSTANT  127 

"Send  some  hands  aloft  to  clear  away  the  wreck  ! 
Have  them  rig  a  new  to'gallant  mast,  and  set  the 
watch,  Mr.  Frazier,"  said  Macartney,  yielding  the  trum- 
pet to  his  executive  officer. 

They  were  free. 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE  MARQUIS   SAYS   "  NO  !  " 

"  MADEMOISELLE  ! "  exclaimed  the  captain  in  some 
surprise  as  he  descended  to  the  quarter-deck  where 
Louise  and  Aurore  were  standing.  "  Were  you  there 
all  the  time?  It  was  dangerous,  extremely  so,  you  — " 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  girl,  "  but  I  could  not  go  below. 
My  —  my  grandfather  was  in  peril.  I  could  not  leave 
him." 

"  Admiral,"  said  Macartney,  "  if  you  will  take  the 
comtesse  to  my  cabin,  I  will  join  you  in  a  moment  or 
two.  I  must  first  of  all  look  to  my  ship  and  men." 

A  few  of  the  men  had  been  wounded  and  one  killed 
by  the  fire  of  the  batteries.  The  ship  had  been  cut  up 
somewhat,  but  a  brief  inspection  satisfied  her  captain 
that  she  had  suffered  no  material  damage,  not  any  at 
least  that  her  own  crew  could  not  repair.  In  a  short 
time  she  would  be  as  fit  as  ever  for  service.  When  he 
entered  the  cabin  he  called  his  steward  to  him  and  told 
him  to  bring  some  refreshments  for  his  passengers. 

"  Sir,"  said  the  marquis,  so  soon  as  this  matter  had 
been  attended  to,  "  there  are  several  things  I  wish  to 
say  to  you." 

And  one  at  least,  thought  Macartney,  that  I  wish  to 
say  to  you. 

128 


THE   MABQUIS   SAYS   "  NO  I  "  129 

"  Yes,  monsieur,"  he  said  to  the  older  man. 

"  First,  I  desire  to  compliment  you  on  the  way  you 
handled  your  ship.  It  was  magnificent  !  You  are  such 
a  seaman,  young  man,  as  I  should  have  been  proud  to 
have  met  with  a  ship  of  my  own  in  my  younger  days. 
De  Suffren  would  have  appreciated  you  as  I  do." 

"  I  thank  you,  sir." 

"  And  I  am  under  everlasting  obligation  to  you  for 
your  gallant  rescue  of  my  party  this  evening." 

"  If  I  may  make  bold  to  ask,  Admiral,  how  came  you 
to  be  in  that  situation  ?  " 

"  I  stayed  on  the  walls  to  the  very  last  moment.  The 
troops  with  me  were  cut  down,  or  they  fled.  Not  until 
then,  I  assure  you,  did  I  retreat." 

"  I  can  well  believe  that,  sir." 

"  I  was  on  horseback,  and  I  easily  made  my  way  past 
the  few  Republicans  who  had  gained  the  town  at  that 
time  —  although  the  canaille  were  swarming  over  the 
walls  in  every  direction  —  to  my  hdtel.  I  knew  of  the 
alley  down  which  I  finally  came,  and  I  hoped  to  escape 
that  way.  I  had  given  orders  during  the  afternoon  that 
Comte  Honore  and  the  comtesse,  with  their  attendants, 
should  repair  on  board  the  ships.  Judge  of  my  surprise, 
Monsieur  Macartney,  when  I  found  them  still  there  !  " 

"We  could  not  go  and  leave  you,  grandfather," 
murmured  Louise,  while  young  Honore"  nodded  in 
vigorous  assent  to  her  words. 

"  You  should  have  obeyed  my  orders,  child,"  said  the 
marquis,  severely.  "For  me  you  could  do  nothing. 
With  me  —  " 


180  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

"  I  understand  exactly  how  the  comtesse  felt,"  said 
Macartney,  eagerly  interposing  to  break  the  old  man's 
censure.  "  Of  course  she  could  not  abandon  you, 
monsieur.  And  the  rest  stayed  with  her." 

The  marquis  looked  at  the  young  man  keenly,  then 
went  on. 

"Well,  sir,  we  had  successfully  passed  the  first  cross 
streets  when  the  mob  overtook  us — and  you  know  the 
rest.  How  happened  you  to  be  there  ?  " 

"  I  was  looking  for  you,  sir.  I  had  received  orders 
to  burn  the  French  ships,  and  having  completed  my  task 
so  far  as  I  could — " 

"  How  many  did  you  burn,  monsieur  ?  " 

"  Nine  of  the  line." 

"  Nine  magnificent  ships !  "  exclaimed  the  marquis. 
"Alas,  my  poor  France!  Proceed,  monsieur." 

"  I  knew  of  the  existence  of  this  alley  which  led  to 
your  hdtel." 

"  How  knew  you  that,  monsieur?" 

"  I  had  made  a  study  of  the  approach  to  your  resi- 
dence, sir,  in  view  of  this  very  contingency." 

"Bien!    Goon." 

"  I  sent  my  other  boats  back  to  the  frigate  and  landed 
to  find  out  what  I  could.  The  rest  you  know." 

"Captain  Macartney,  you  have  proved  yourself  an 
officer  of  address  and  courage.  There  is  but  one  feature 
in  your  conduct  of  which  I  disapprove." 

"  What  is  that,  my  lord  ?  " 

"  Why  did  you  cheer  for  those  rascally  Republicans 
in  the  last  street  ?  " 


THE  MARQUIS   SAYS   "  NO  !  "  131 

"  Not  from  any  choice,  believe  me,  Admiral.  It  was 
the  only  way  by  which  I  could  win  through  with  the 
comtesse  —  with  yourself,  sir.  And  for  your  sake,  sir," 
he  went  on  audaciously,  "  I  would  cheer  for  the  very 
devil  himself  in  such  a  predicament !  " 

"  It  would  not  be  my  way,"  said  the  marquis,  stub- 
bornly. 

"  Well,  sir,  give  me  leave.    It  was  that  way  or  none." 

"Let  that  pass.     At  any  rate,  you  saved  us." 

"But  I  would  have  failed,  sir,  had  it  not  been  for 
that  young  officer  who  interfered." 

"  I  am  loath  to  owe  anything  to  a  Republican,"  said 
the  marquis,  gloomily. 

"  The  Republic  is  bad  enough,"  said  Macartney,  "  but 
there  may  be  some  good  in  individual  Republicans. 
There  was  something  about  that  man  that  impressed 
me  profoundly.  We  shall  hear  from  him  again,  I  feel 
sure." 

"  He  certainly  did  us  good  service.  I  shall  see,"  con- 
tinued the  old  man,  thoughtfully,  "when  his  Majesty 
is  restored  to  his  own,  that  the  young  officer  is  not  be- 
headed. What  was  his  name  ?  " 

"  He  would  not  say,  although  I  asked  him." 

"I  wish  we  had  learned  it,"  mused  the  marquis. 
"His  appearance  is  unfamiliar  to  me.  Certainly  he 
does  not  belong  to  the  haute  noblesse.  Not  many  of 
them  have  rebelled  against  their  King,  although  there 
be  some  who  have  disgraced  their  name  and  fame  that 
way.  Well,  monsieur,  perhaps  the  time  may  come 
when  I  may  show  gratitude  to  you  in  some  fitting  way." 


132  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  You  may  show  it  now,  sir,"  said  the  Irishman, 
"although  I  do  not  urge  my  request  on  that  plea." 

"  And  how  may  I  show  it  now  ?  " 

"  Sir,  I  love  your  granddaughter." 

"What!  Captain  Macartney!  You!  An  English- 
man, a  commoner,  a  sailor,  have  dared  to  love  the 
Comtesse  de  Vaude'montl  Impossible!  " 

"  Sir,"  said  Macartney,  stanchly.  "  'Tis  true  that  I 
am  a  sailor.  But  so  are  you.  My  present  rank  in  the 
service  is  but  two  degrees  less  than  yours.  I  see  no 
reason  why  I  should  not  eventually  fly  an  admiral's  flag, 
and  that  sooner  than  you  think.  My  family  is  as  old 
as  your  own.  I  have  as  yet  no  title,  but  I  can  win  one. 
I  love  the  comtesse  and  would  fain  make  her  my  wife." 

"Sir,  you  have  told  me  that  you  have  nothing  but 
your  profession.  You  are  absolutely  penniless,  saving 
your  pay,  which  I  understand  is  meagre.  My  grand- 
daughter, together  with  her  young  brother  here,  is 
heiress  to  the  vast  estates  of  the  de  Vaudemonts." 

"Let  me  remind  you  that  those  estates  are  in  the 
possession  of  the  French  Republic." 

"  Temporarily,  yes,  but  that  is  a  matter  of  but  a  short 
time.  No,  monsieur,  I  am  under  many  obligations  to 
you  which  I  shall  discharge  in  some  suitable  way, 
believe  me,"  continued  the  old  man,  firmly  but  kindly, 
"  but  there  are  many  reasons  why  my  granddaughter 
is  not  for  you  and  cannot  be!  Put  the  idea  out  of  yoilr 
mind,  sir;  'tis  impossible.  The  demoiselle  de  Vaude"- 
mont  will  have  other  suitors  of  her  own  rank  and  her 
own  race." 


THE  MARQUIS   SAYS   "  NO  !  "  133 

"I  will  have  no  one,  Monsieur  le  Marquis,"  cried 
Louise,  her  eyes  shining,  her  bosom  heaving.  "  As  I 
told  Monsieur  Macartney,  I  am  for  France." 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  her  grandfather,  gravely,  "  we'll  not 
talk  of  marrying  or  giving  in  marriage  while  our 
country  is  in  this  unhappy  state.  We  will  wait  until 
our  King  comes  to  his  own  again." 

"But  may  I  not  hope  then,  Marquis?"  cried 
Macartney. 

"  No,  my  friend,"  returned  the  marquis,  promptly  and 
firmly.  "At  least  not  from  any  word  or  sanction  of 
mine." 

"  But,  monsieur  —  " 

"  We  are  your  guests,  Captain,  and  crave  your  con- 
sideration as  to  the  choice  of  topics  for  future  conver- 
sation." 

"  You  say  well,"  said  Macartney ;  "  as  my  guests  you 
may  command  me.  But  King  or  no  King,  France  or 
no  France,  I  shall  never  cease  to  aspire  to  the  hand  of 
the  Comtesse  de  Vaudemont,  nor  to  hope  that  in  the 
end  she  may  respond  to  my  passion.  At  present  we 
will  say  no  more  about  it.  Now,  Monsieur  le  Marquis, 
what  can  I  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  Whither  are  you  bound  ?  "  asked  the  marquis. 

"  I  rejoin  the  fleet  in  Hyeres  Bay.  Where  do  you 
wish  to  go  ?  " 

**  I  am  told  the  Regent  is  in  Westphalia.  If  we  could 
be  taken  to  the  most  convenient  port  and  landed  there,  I 
should  like  to  join  him  with  my  family." 

"  That  will  be  Trieste,  sir,  I  think,  since  Italy  is  held 


134  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

by  the  French.  When  I  report  to  Lord  Hood,"  said 
Macartney,  formally,  "  I  will  ask  his  permission  to  take 
you  where  you  desire.  Meanwhile,  I  beg  you  and  your 
suite  to  consider  this  cabin  as  your  own.  There  are 
two  staterooms,  one  on  either  side,  as  you  see.  The 
comtesse  and  her  maid  can  have  that  one,  you  can 
occupy  the  other,  the  young  comte  can  sleep  out  here 
with  your  attendant,  and  I  trust  you  may  all  be  com- 
fortable. I  shall  lie  to  to-night.  I  would  not  dare  to 
try  to  beat  up  to  the  anchorage  of  the  fleet  until  the 
morning." 

"  Sir,  we  thank  you  for  your  courtesy.  The  accom- 
modation is  all  that  we  could  desire.  I  will  take  this 
cabin  as  you  suggest,"  said  the  marquis,  stepping  over 
to  the  port  stateroom  and  looking  into  it  for  a 
moment. 

Macartney  had  a  chance  for  another  word  with  Louise 
which  he  instantly  embraced. 

"  I  am  for  France,"  she  protested  softly  in  reply. 

"  Nay,"  persisted  the  Irishman,  "  but  for  me." 

The  marquis  turned  at  that  instant. 

"  Good-night,  messieurs,  mademoiselle,"  said  the 
captain,  saluting  and  stepping  toward  the  door. 

By  the  door  stood  Breboeuf.  He  drew  up  his 
gigantic  frame  as  the  Irishman  approached  him.  He 
was  so  tall  that  his  head  almost  touched  the  top  of 
the  low  cabin.  He  knuckled  his  forehead  like  a  sea- 
man. 

"  A  man,"  he  said  in  his  deep-toned  voice. 

It  was  the  first  time  Macartney  had  ever  heard  him 


THE  MARQUIS   SAYS   "  NO  !  "  135 

speak.  He  stopped  in  bewilderment,  half  comprehend- 
ing. 

"  He  means,"  said  the  girl,  softly,  "  that  you  are  a 
man  indeed.  'Tis  a  great  compliment  from  Brebceuf." 

"  I  thank  you,  friend,"  said  Macartney,  smiling,  as  he 
passed  out  on  deck. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

OP  MORE   VALUE  THAN   A  SHIP-OF-THE-LINE 

EARLY  the  next  morning  the  Inconstant  came  ripping 
into  Hyeres  Bay  before  a  strong  westerly  breeze,  ran 
down  to  the  station  of  the  frigates,  and  dropped  her 
anchor.  Macartney  immediately  repaired  on  board  the 
Victory  and  sent  in  his  name  to  Lord  Hood.  He  was 
at  once  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  famous  old  sea 
dog.  By  a  happy  chance  the  Irishman  found  Captain 
Nelson  in  the  cabin.  Hood,  like  the  officers  of  that 
day,  was  a  strict  disciplinarian  and  a  great  stickler  for 
the  proprieties.  Macartney  stopped  at  the  door  and 
saluted. 

"  Ah,  Captain  Macartney,"  said  the  admiral,  "  I  am 
glad  to  see  you.  What  of  the  French  fleet  ?  " 

"  We  burned  nine  of  the  line,  my  lord,  besides  frig- 
ates, sloops,  transports,  and  the  storehouses,  magazines, 
and  dockyards." 

Hood  smiled  and  looked  over  at  Captain  Nelson. 

"  You  were  right,  Nelson,"  he  said.  Then  he  turned 
to  Macartney,  frowning.  "  And  why  didn't  you  burn 
them  all,  sir  ?  " 

"  Faith,  Admiral,"  answered  the  Irishman,  who  was 
afraid  of  nobody,  "we  were  lucky  to  get  away  with 
nine.  One  of  the  fire-ships  blew  up ;  we  lost  two  gun- 

136 


OF  MORE  VALUE  THAN  A  SHIP-OF-THE-LINE      137 

boats.  The  Spaniards  were  a  hindrance,  not  a  help. 
The  enemy  seized  the  town ;  the  Republican  rascals,  who 
had  been  lying  low  while  we  had  the  upper  hand,  armed 
themselves  from  the  arsenal,  liberated  the  convicts,  made 
common  cause  with  the  besiegers,  and  manned  the  ships. 
The  last  three  we  burned  we  took  by  boarding  and  the 
hardest  kind  of  hand-to-hand  fighting.  My  men  are 
equal  to  most  things,  sir,  but  when  it  came  to  the 
carrying  of  a  ninety-gun  ship  with  a  thousand  people 
aboard  her  by  the  crew  of  a  frigate  in  cutters,  naturally 
after  I  tried  it  once  I  concluded  that  it  was  time  for  us 
to  go." 
,"  You  tried  it  once?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord.  I  might  say  I  tried  it  half  a  dozen 
times,  and  successfully,  but  the  opposition  got  stronger 
and  stronger  with  every  try.  If  I  had  had  two  or 
three  ships-of-the-line,  now  —  " 

"  I  couldn't  risk  any  of  his  Majesty's  capital  ships  in 
that  task.  A  frigate  —  " 

"  And  a  captured  one  at  that,"  interjected  Macartney, 
softly,  under  his  breath. 

"  Was  as  much  as  I  could  stand  to  lose." 

"  Well,  sir,  you  didn't  lose  her  either,  for  there  she 
lies  at  her  anchorage  ready  for  instant  service." 

"Good!" 

"Give  me  leave,  Admiral,"  said  Nelson,  eagerly. 
"Do  you  know  what  ships  they  were  you  burned, 
Macartney?" 

"I  have  a  memorandum  of  them  here,  Captain," 
answered  Macartney.  "In  default  of  a  better  place 


138  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

of  record  I  jotted  them  down  ou  my  shirt  sleeve  as  we 
burned  them." 

"  Transcribe  it  at  your  leisure,  Captain  Macartney," 
said  the  admiral,  "  and  give  it  to  my  secretary." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"  That  leaves  the  beggars  eighteen  ships-of-the-line, 
but  no  frigates,"  said  Nelson.  The  young  captain 
thought  a  moment. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"That  agrees  with  our  tally,  I  believe,  my  lord," 
said  Nelson  to  the  admiral. 

"  Ay,  ay,  we'll  take  care  of  the  others  if  they  dare  to 
poke  their  noses  out  of  the  harbor,  as  God  grant  they 
may,"  remarked  Hood. 

"Yes,  my  lord,"  answered  Nelson.  "Really  there 
will  be  more  glory  to  be  won  by  beating  them  on  the 
open  sea  than  by  burning  them  abandoned  in  the 
harbor." 

"Yes,"  said  Hood,  "doubtless.  You  young  hot- 
bloods  think  only  of  glory.  Old  men  like  I  am  have 
in  mind  first  of  all  the  destruction  of  the  enemy  in  the 
easiest  and  most  convenient  way.  Not  but  what  I 
would  like  to  meet  these  rebellious  gentry  under  their 
three-striped  flag  with  plenty  of  sea  room  and  with 
just  enough  ships  to  give  them  the  odds,"  smiled  the 
old  man,  his  eyes  sparkling  under  his  snowy  hair. 

"  You're  as  bad  as  the  rest  of  us,  Admiral,"  remarked 
Macartney,  audaciously. 

There  was  much  difference  in  position  between  a  vet- 
eran captain  of  a  ship-of-the-line  and  a  newly  appointed 


OF  MORE  VALUE  THAN  A  SHIP-OF-THE-LESTE      139 

captain  of  a  frigate.  What  Nelson  might  have  said  with 
propriety  sounded  presumptuous  in  Macartney.  The 
Irishman,  however,  made  up  in  assurance  for  what  he 
lacked  in  rank.  As  he  was  a  great  favorite  with  the 
admiral  the  latter  merely  smiled  at  this  remark  and 
continued :  — 

"Now,  Captain  Macartney,  you  have  done  extraor- 
dinarily well.  I  don't  mind  telling  you  that  in  talking 
the  matter  over  with  Captain  Nelson  I  scarcely  thought 
that  you  would  be  able  to  account  for  more  than  half  a 
dozen  of  the  ships.  He  offered  to  wager  a  commission 
for  a  ship-of-the-line  for  you  that  you  were  good  for  at 
least  nine,  not  counting  a  single  frigate." 

"  And  did  you  take  the  bet,  my  lord  ?  "  eagerly  asked 
Macartney. 

"  No,  sir,  I  did  not.  It  was  a  wager  in  which  I  paid 
if  I  lost,  while  if  I  won  I  got  nothing." 

"  Pardon,  my  lord.     You  got  nine  ships-of-the-line !  " 

"  Well,"  said  the  old  man,  smiling  at  the  other's  ready 
wit,  "  there's  something  in  that.  We  shall  see.  What 
happened  after  you  withdrew  from  the  French  fleet  ?  " 

"  I  sent  the  boats  back  to  the  frigate,  my  lord,  and  I 
—  I  —  " 

He  hesitated.  He  knew  of  course  there  was  no  de- 
fence for  his  subsequent  actions.  He  was  too  honorable 
a  man  to  evade  the  question,  yet  he  was  naturally  most 
reluctant  to  tell  the  admiral. 

"You  didn't  go  back  to  the  frigate  yourself,  then,  I 
take  it,  from  your  hesitation,"  said  the  old  man,  looking 
keenly  at  him. 


140  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Well,  no,  sir,  not  directly." 

The  admiral  frowned,  then  looked  at  Nelson  again, 
and  both  men  burst  into  hearty  laughter. 

"  You  will  pardon  us,  Captain  Macartney,"  said  Lord 
Hood,  as  soon  as  he  could  recover  himself,  "  but  Nelson 
offered  another  wager  —  I  forget  just  what  it  was  —  but 
he  said  that  he  was  cock-sure  that  you'd  be  up  to  some 
daredevil  trick  or  other  after  you  performed  your  duty." 

"There  wasn't  any  particular  daring  about  it,  sir. 
I  just  ran  along  the  wharves  —  at  a  safe  distance,  of 
course  —  " 

"  What  was  the  state  of  affairs  ?  " 

"  Awful,  my  lord !  The  quays  were  crowded  with 
men  and  women  and  children  begging  and  imploring  to 
be  taken  away.  I  never  saw  such  a  sight  in  my  life  ! 
Those  French  hell-hounds — begging  your  pardon,  sir 
—  were  shooting  and  murdering  and  doing  worse  than 
that  for  aught  I  know,  without  let  or  hindrance.  I 
would  have  given  my  life  for  means  to  take  the  people 
on  the  boat." 

"  Every  ship  in  the  harbor,"  said  the  admiral,  sternly, 
"  is  crowded  to  the  safety  limit  with  refugees.  I  would 
give  my  life  as  lightly  as  yours,  Captain  Macartney, 
but  I  could  not  further  jeopardize  the  safety  of  his 
Majesty's  fleet  confided  to  my  charge." 

"  Of  course  not,  sir,"  answered  Macartney,  somewhat 
abashed  at  the  veteran's  severity,  "I  meant  nothing, 
my  lord." 

"  What  did  you  do  then,  Macartney  ?  "  deftly  broke 
in  Nelson  at  this  juncture. 


OF  MOKE  VALUE  THAN  A  SH1P-OF-THE-LINE      141 

"  I  wanted  to  know  whether  Vice-admiral  de  Vaude*- 
mont  had  escaped  or  not.  I  had  a  sneaking  idea  that 
notions  of  honor  would  keep  him  in  Toulon  until  the 
last  moment,  and  you  know,  sir,  having  rescued  the  old 
gentleman  I  felt  a  sort  of  interest  in  — ah  —  in  him." 

"Of  course,"  laughed  Nelson,  "your  devotion  is 
quite  filial,  isn't  it  ?  " 

Macartney  smiled  at  his  former  little  captain. 

"Hasn't  he  a  daughter?  "  broke  in  Hood,  bluntly. 

"  No,  my  lord,  a  granddaughter,  also  a  grandson." 

"  I  presume  your  interest  in  these  two  was  paternal  ?  " 
he  asked,  having  quite  recovered  his  good  humor. 

"Of  course,  Admiral.  Well,  gentlemen,  I  took  the 
cutter  up  past  the  warehouses  to  a  secluded  landing 
that  I  knew  of  which  opened  on  the  alley  leading  to 
the  Marquis  de  Vaude'mont's  hdtel.  I  landed  with  my 
coxswain  and  told  Mr.  Hoste,  the  midshipman  in  charge 
of  the  boat,  to  lay  on  his  oars  and  wait  ten  minutes. 
If  I  didn't  get  back  in  that  time,  he  was  to  return  to 
the  frigate  and  direct  my  first  lieutenant  to  take  her 
out  and  report  to  you  that  I  was  killed  entirely." 

"  Urn  I  "  said  the  admiral.  "  Did  you  find  the 
admiral  ?  " 

"  Found  him  with  his  back  against  a  stone  wall  and 
the  mob  yelling  in  front  of  him." 

"  Did  you  rescue  him  ?  " 

"  Sure  I  did,  or  I  wouldn't  be  here  !  Hell  was  let 
loose  in  that  town  last  night,  and  we  had  a  taste  of  it. 
Just  when  they  were  about  to  overpower  us  a  young 
officer  of  artillery  came  riding  up  and  interfered. 'v 


142  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  What  was  his  name  ?  "  asked  Nelson. 

"  We  did  not  find  out,  but  I  think,  from  what  they 
said,  it  was  the  same  who  led  the  charge  in  the  attack 
on  Fort  Mulgrave  which  caused  our  undoing." 

"  Ha  !  "  exclaimed  Hood.     "The  rascal  has  sense." 

"  He  has  that,  sir.  And  a  heart  in  him,  too.  He 
interposed  to  save  us,  quieted  the  mob,  said  he  would 
take  care  of  us,  and  then  sent  us  off.  We  had  a  little 
scrimmage  crossing  another  street,  gained  the  boat, 
then  the  frigate." 

"  Did  you  bring  off  the  little  children  as  well,  sir  ?  " 
queried  Hood. 

"  The  little  children,  my  lord  ?  "  asked  Macartney, 
not  comprehending  for  the  instant. 

"  The  granddaughter  is  about  eighteen  years  old,  I 
take  it,  Admiral,"  whispered  Nelson. 

"  Oh,  I  see  !  "  laughed  the  admiral.  "  Well,  sir, 
what  happened  then  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  sir.  We  weighed  anchor,  made  sail  in 
fine  style,  and  ran  the  batteries  in  shipshape  fashion." 

"  Did  you  suffer  any  loss  ?  " 

"  Nothing  to  speak  of,  sir.  The  main  to'gallant  mast, 
some  of  the  standing  rigging  and  running  gear  cut  up, 
two  poor  fellows  killed,  and  a  half  dozen  wounded. 
We  lost  about  fifty  men,  however,  in  burning  the 
fleet." 

"  Where  is  the  French  vice-admiral  now  ?  " 

"  He  is  on  my  ship,  sir,  and  he  desires  to  be  conveyed 
to  Trieste.  He  is  going  to  the  Regent  in  Westphalia. 
I  make  bold  to  ask  your  lordship,  if  you  have  no 


OP  MORE  VALUE  THAN  A  SHIP-OF-THE-LINE      143 

other  duty  for  me,  to  be  permitted  to  take  him 
there." 

"  Macartney,"  said  Hood,  "  I  will  be  quite  frank 
with  you.  You  did  a  splendid  thing  in  a  thorough- 
going, seamanlike  way  with  the  French  fleet.  While 
you  have  only  recently  been  posted  captain,  nevertheless 
I  had  intended  to  give  you  a  ship-of-the-line  for  your 
action,  but  this  after  performance  of  yours  dims  the 
exploit.  Sir,"  cried  the  old  man,  pointing  his  finger, 
"  you  had  no  business  to  linger  in  that  harbor  a  moment 
after  you  had  performed  your  duty  !  No,  you  had  no 
right  to  risk  his  Majesty's  frigate  Inconstant  for  any 
French  vice-admiral  that  ever  flew  a  flag !  Nor  for  his 
grandchildren,  either.  You  are  censurable  for  having 
done  so.  I  intrusted  that  ship  to  you,  sir.  I  did  not 
intrust  it  to  your  first  lieutenant.  What  his  qualities 
were,  or  are,  I  am  not  advised.  If  you  had  been 
captured  or  killed,  the  safety  of  the  ship  would  have 
devolved  upon  him.  If  your  capture  or  death  had  been 
in  the  work  of  the  service,  not  a  word  would  be  said, 
but  you  had  no  right  to  create  such  a  crisis  yourself  by 
your  action  !  " 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  Macartney  with  astonishing 
meekness,  greatly  perturbed  by  the  old  man's  terrible 
outburst.  "  My  first  lieutenant,  Mr.  Frazier,  is  a  very 
good  man,  sir.  You  can  place  every  confidence  in  him, 
my  lord." 

"  Doubtless ;  that's  another  question.  And,  Ma- 
cartney," continued  the  admiral,  more  kindly,  "  I  say 
this  for  your  own  good.  That's  your  history  all 


144  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

through  the  navy.  I  have  looked  it  up,  I  am  familiar 
with  it.  It  is  a  record  of  brilliant  exploits  marred  by 
some  after  bit  of  foolishness,  of  Irish  insubordination, 
of  recklessness,  which  puts  his  Majesty's  ships  in  hazard 
in  pursuit  of  some  private  end.  Comparatively  speak- 
ing you  are  a  young  man  yet.  If  you  wish  to  rise  in 
the  service,  there  must  be  a  change.  You  must  have 
an  eye  single  to  your  duty,  to  your  duty  alone,  sir! 
I  shall  publish  an  order  to  the  fleet  commending  the 
burning  of  the  French  ships,  but  I  am  unwilling  to 
give  you  that  ship-of-the-line  at  present." 

"  My  lord,"  said  Macartney,  bravely,  "you  are  quite 
right,  sir.  I  thank  you.  Every  word  that  your  lord- 
ship has  said  is  true.  Your  lordship's  decision  is 
eminently  just,  sir.  I  will  mend  my  ways,  if  I  can. 
But,  Admiral  —  if  you  had  only  seen  the  lady,  sir  !  " 

"My  God,  sir,"  exclaimed  Hood,  throwing  up  his 
hands,  "  you  are  incorrigible  !  " 

"  No,  sir,  but  I  want  you  to  understand  the  situation. 
And  if  your  lordship  will  forgive  me,  with  her  a-tugging 
at  my  heartstrings  all  the  time  I  never  went  near  the 
place  where  I  thought  she  was  until  I  had  performed  the 
duty  assigned  to  me  to  the  very  last  ounce  of  my  power." 

"  I  am  sure,  Admiral,"  put  in  Nelson,  kindly,  "  that 
no  other  man  in  the  fleet  would  have  got  so  many  of 
the  French  ships  as  Macartney." 

"  Thank  you  kindly,  Captain  Nelson,  but  I  doubt  not 
there  are  many  who  would  have  done  better.  I  only  did 
my  best,  my  lord,  and  as  for  the  ship-of-the-line  —  well, 
Admiral  Hood,  I  can  only  say  she's  worth  it  !  " 


OF  MOKE  VALUE  THAN  A  SHIP-OF-THE-LINE      145 

"  You  graceless  reprobate  !  "  laughed  Hood,  his  finger 
pointed  again,  but  in  a  different  spirit.  "  Well,  I  have 
given  you  good  advice.  I  have  given  you  my  view  of  the 
situation.  I  suppose  a  pretty  face  goes  a  long  sight 
farther  than  a  word  from  an  old  sea  dog.  There,  I 
will  think  about  the  ship-of-the-line  later." 

"Thank  you,  sir,  and  if  it's  all  the  same  to  you, 
Admiral,  I  would  rather  be  in  a  frigate  for  a  while,  sir. 
There's  richer  pickings,  if  less  glory,  to  be  had  in  a  tight 
frigate  in  the  way  of  prizes." 

"  You're  the  first  Irishman  I  have  ever  heard,  Ma- 
cartney, who  cared  tuppence  for  prize  money  in 
comparison  with  glory,"  exclaimed  Hood,  somewhat 
surprised  and  a  little  contemptuous  of  Macartney's 
sentiment. 

"  Sir,"  answered  Macartney,  stoutly,  "  I  am  as  poor  as 
Job's  turkey.  My  ancestral  estates  have  diminished  to 
the  vanishing  point.  I  intend  to  settle  down  and  be  a 
family  man.  I  want  some  of  this  world's  goods  while 
there's  some  to  be  had." 

"Is  it  —  pardon  me — the  vice-admiral's  grand- 
daughter ?  " 

"It  is,  sir." 

"  What  does  the  vice-admiral  say  ?  " 

"He  says,  'No,'  sir  !  " 

"  What  does  the  young  lady  say  ?  " 

"She  says — well,  not  much  of  anything,  only  that 
she's  for  France." 

"  What  do  you  say  ?  " 

"  I  say  *  Yes  ! '  my  lord." 

L 


146  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"If  I  know  you,"  answered  the  admiral,  smiling, 
"what  you  say  will  determine  the  event  in  the  end." 

"It  will,  sir." 

"  Very  well.  You  may  return  to  your  frigate,  and  — 
hark  ye,  Macartney  —  when  you  want  anything,  come 
to  me." 

"  And  may  I  take  out  the  vice-admiral  to  Trieste  ?  " 

"You  may.  Report  to  me  as  soon  as  you  return. 
Don't  strain  the  ship  by  rushing  her  too  hard  in  going 
over,  but  hurry  back.  Success  and  a  happy  voyage  to 
you  ! " 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   COMTESSE   SAYS   AU   REVOIB 

THE  long  voyage  to  Trieste  was  the  most  madden- 
ing experience  that  Macartney  had  ever  experienced. 
He  had  anticipated  many  a  delightful  tete-d-tete  with 
the  woman  he  loved,  but  the  astute  old  vice-admiral  so 
contrived  that  never  for  one  moment  was  the  young 
comtesse  alone  with  him.  Some  one  was  always  by — the 
young  comte,  the  old  man,  or,  on  a  pinch,  Aurore,  who 
had  received  her  instructions  and  faithfully  carried 
them  out.  By  no  address  was  Macartney  able  to  get 
a  private  word  with  Louise. 

Now,  no  man,  young  or  old,  not  even  the  resourceful 
marquis,  would  have  been  able  to  carry  out  such  an 
arrangement  if  the  lady  herself  had  been  unwilling  to 
cooperate  in  the  endeavor.  She  would  have  found 
means  for  seeing  her  lover  alone  had  she  desired  it. 
Perhaps  it  is  not  quite  correct  to  infer  that  she  did  not 
desire  it,  but  her  inclination  was  not  strong  enough  to 
overcome  her  ideas  of  her  duty  toward  her  grandfather 
and  her  determination  to  devote  herself  to  him  and 
through  him  to  her  unhappy  country. 

"  I  am  for  France,"  she  had  said,  and  that,  indeed, 
was  no  idle  statement.  It  would  be  beyond  the  truth, 
however,  to  say  that  Macartney  was  indifferent  to  her. 

147 


148  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

She  had  stopped  him  by  a  timely  appeal  when  he  bent 
to  kiss  her  in  the  cabin.  That  he  paid  such  instant 
attention  to  her  wish  and  had  refrained  when  he  might 
have  gone  on,  was  a  source  of  joy  to  her  ;  yet,  she 
found  herself  blushing  with  the  thought  that  perhaps 
after  all  she  regretted  her  interposition.  Macartney 
was  a  man  of  great  personal  charm.  Like  many  Irish- 
men, he  had  a  touch  of  the  French  gaieU  de  coeur  which 
especially  appealed  to  her. 

The  comtesse  had  all  the  pride  of  her  birth,  of  her 
rank  and  station,  and  under  other  circumstances  she 
would  probably  not  have  permitted  herself  to  notice  a 
simple  gentleman  ;  but,  strangely  enough,  she  lacked 
her  grandfather's  optimism  as  to  the  future,  and  fully 
realized  that  from  being  a  great  heiress  she  was  now 
the  granddaughter  of  an  emigrd  who  was  practically 
penniless.  In  this  condition,  therefore,  she  had  no 
advantage  over  the  man  who  loved  her.  He  had 
twice  rescued  her  from  death  and  from  more  than 
death.  The  last  time  he  had  displayed  a  gallantry 
and  daring,  and  a  devotion  to  her,  which  would  have 
touched  the  heart  of  the  most  indifferent  woman,  and 
she  was  by  no  means  that. 

She  could  not  forget,  however,  that  he  was  an  Eng- 
lishman. For  two  hundred  years  her  ancestors  had 
been  hating  the  English,  and  while  circumstances  had 
brought  about  a  temporary  alliance  between  the  Royal- 
ists and  the  King  of  England,  her  inherited  prejudices 
were  too  deep  to  give  way  lightly  even  under  such 
novel  conditions. 


THE   COMTESSE  SAYS  AU   REVOIR  149 

But  then  Macartney  had  assured  her  that  he  was  an 
Irishman.  She  had  said  there  was  no  difference,  but 
she  had  discovered,  perhaps  by  contrasting  him  with 
the  other  English  officers  whom  she  had  met  at  Toulon, 
and  on  the  frigate  as  well,  that  there  was  a  difference. 
An  Irishman  was  not  the  same  as  an  Englishman,  even 
though  Macartney  did  wear  the  English  uniform.  Had 
it  not  been  for  that  —  he  had  said  that  he  too  was  for 
France  —  if  he  really  proffered  his  services  to  the 
Regent,  for  her  lawful  King —  She  permitted  herself 
to  dream  of  a  future  in  which  the  man  who  loved  her 
played  a  commanding  part,  and  the  dream  was  not 
unpleasant  to  her. 

All  that  the  comtesse  lacked  was  time  and  associa- 
tion. In  the  very  nature  of  things  Macartney  would 
have  won  her.  He  was  as  perfect  a  lover  as  he  was  a 
fighter,  and  he  pursued  the  object  of  his  aspirations  with 
the  same  determination,  impetuosity,  and  skill  he  would 
bring  to  bear  if  he  were  chasing  a  ship  of  the  enemy. 
While  he  could  not  see  her  alone,  and  while  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  express  his  feelings  under  the  very  eye  and  ear 
of  the  old  vice-admiral,  whose  experience  had  made 
him  very  keen  in  affairs  of  the  heart,  yet  the  captain 
surrounded  the  woman  with  such  an  atmosphere  of 
devotion  that  she  drew  it  in  with  every  breath  she 
took.  Insensibly  she  found  her  interest  and  her  affec- 
tions more  and  more  engaged  by  his  demeanor. 

As  has  been  said,  Macartney  had  loved  many  times 
and  oft.  There  was  no  doubt,  however,  in  his  mind 
that  this  time  a  real,  genuine,  lasting  passion  had  found 


150  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

a  lodgment  in  his  heart.  The  feeling  with  which  he 
regarded  the  charming  girl  was  persistent  and  un- 
changeable, save  that  with  each  passing  hour  it  grew 
and  grew.  No  woman  could  be  indifferent  to  such 
devotion,  much  less  a  young  and  inexperienced  girl, 
thrown  for  the  first  time  in  touch  with  a  great  passion. 
Outwardly  the  comtesse  was  passive,  inwardly  she 
thrilled  to  it,  yet  not  sufficiently  to  commit  herself  to 
him.  She  quietly  thwarted  his  manoeuvres  and  tacitly 
refused  to  assist  him  in  his  endeavors  to  see  her  alone. 
She  had  not  reached  the  point  at  which  she  felt  that 
she  could  not  live  without  him,  and  until  she  had 
reached  such  a  point  her  duty  and  her  determination 
were  stronger  than  her  heart. 

The  run  to  Naples,  where  they  touched  for  water 
and  supplies,  was  made  all  too  quickly,  and  although 
Macartney  would  have  delayed  in  the  hope  that  fate 
or  his  mistress  might  relent  and  grow  more  kind,  yet 
there  was  no  excuse  for  lingering  at  that  port,  and  after 
delivering  his  despatches  to  Sir  William  Hamilton  they 
set  sail  and  soon  found  themselves  in  the  Adriatic. 
The  voyage  up  that  storied  sea  was  as  uneventful  as 
the  first  part  of  the  cruise.  Ten  days  after  their 
departure  from  Hyeres  the  frigate  dropped  anchor  off 
Trieste. 

The  vice-admiral  determined  upon  immediately  quit- 
ting the  ship.  He  intended  to  go  to  Vienna,  where  he 
had  friends,  and  there  despatch  a  communication  to  the 
Comte  de  Provence,  the  Regent,  to  proffer  his  services 
and  ask  that  functionary's  pleasure  as  to  his  future 


THE  COMTESSE  SAYS   AU   KEVOIR  151 

movements.  He  had  no  baggage  to  speak  of.  The 
whole  party  had  been  forced  to  content  themselves 
with  the  clothes  they  wore  when  they  left  Toulon 
until  they  could  make  some  few  absolutely  essential 
purchases  at  Naples.  The  preparations  for  the  em- 
barkation were  soon  completed. 

Like  all  the  sailors  in  the  English  navy  the  crew  of 
the  Inconstant  had  been  taught  to  hate  a  Frenchman 
like  the  devil,  but  the  vice-admiral  was  such  a  fine  old 
seaman  and  gentleman  that  those  who  dwelt  in  the 
wardroom  and  steerage  had  learned  to  make  an  excep- 
tion, so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  to  the  general  rule. 
Perhaps  the  boyish  frankness  of  the  young  comte,  who 
spent  many  hours  in  the  steerage  with  the  youngsters 
of  the  vessel,  and  certainly  the  beauty  and  graciousness 
of  the  young  comtesse,  who  could  afford  to  be  kinder 
to  any  one  on  the  ship  than  to  her  captain,  had  made 
them  all  great  favorites.  Even  the  silent  Brebceuf,  so 
different  from  the  typically  voluble  French  sailor,  had 
made  friends  in  the  forecastle  —  largely  because  he  said 
nothing. 

The  officers,  therefore,  proposed  to  dispossess  the 
seamen  of  their  places  at  the  thwarts  of  the  cutter 
and  row  the  old  vice-admiral  and  his  party  ashore  them- 
selves. Macartney  cheerfully  gave  his  permission. 
The  first  lieutenant  acted  as  coxswain.  Although  the 
captain  would  have  greatly  appreciated  that  privilege 
himself,  etiquette  forbade  him,  under  the  circumstances, 
to  volunteer.  •  As  the  moment  for  their  departure 
approached  the  men  were  mustered  in  the  waist,  the 


152  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

officers  in  full  rig  on  the  quarter-deck,  Macartney  at 
their  head.  The  vice-admiral  came  from  the  cabin. 

"Captain  Macartney,  Gentlemen,"  he  said,  stepping 
in  front  of  the  little  group  with  his  grandson  and  grand- 
daughter by  his  side,  "  we  are  about  to  bid  you  farewell. 
You,  sir,  have  rendered  to  his  Majesty  the  King  —  God 
bless  him !  —  a  great  service  in  the  harbor  of  Toulon. 
You  have  also  rendered  me  and  mine  personal  services 
of  the  greatest  value.  In  the  unhappy  state  of  my  poor 
country  the  rewards  which  should  certainly  be  yours 
must  remain  in  abeyance." 

Macartney  made  a  movement  as  if  to  protest,  but  the 
older  man  stopped  him. 

"Nay,  monsieur,  by  your  leave,  hear  me  further. 
Under  other  circumstances  there  were  no  warrant  for 
what  I  am  about  to  do,  but  things  have  changed 
greatly,  and  I  am  sure  that  my  master  will  be  but  too 
happy  to  approve  of  my  action.  Sir,  I  am  a  Grand 
Commander  of  his  Most  Christian  Majesty's  noble 
order  of  St.  Louis.  As  such  I  take  it  upon  myself  to 
name  you  a  chevalier  of  that  order,  subject  of  course 
to  the  proper  confirmation,  which  I  shall  make  it  my 
business  at  once  to  see  that  you  receive.  And,  Mon- 
sieur le  Chevalier,"  went  on  the  old  man,  smiling,  "  if 
you  will  permit  me  to  give  you  that  title  for  the  first 
time,  I  will  honor  myself,  and  I  trust  that  I  may  pleas- 
ure you,  by  asking  you  to  wear  my  own  cross  of  the 
order  until  such  a  time  as  you  may  be  privileged  to 
receive  the  insignia  from  the  hand  of  the*  King." 

As  he  spoke  the  marquis  detached  from  his  breast 


THE  COMTESSE   SAYS   AU   KEVOIB  153 

the  cross  of  the  order  and  fastened  it  to  that  of 
Macartney. 

"Sir,"  said  that  young  officer,  bowing  profoundly, 
hat  in  hand,  before  the  marquis,  "to  have  been  of 
service  to  you"  —  his  blue  eyes  shot  one  glance  at  the 
young  girl  —  "and  yours,  is  of  itself  reward  enough. 
The  honor  you  have  vouchsafed  to  me  overwhelms 
me.  Should  I  be  permitted  by  my  King,  as  I  have  no 
doubt  I  shall  be,  to  accept  this  decoration,  I  shall  ever 
cherish  it  as  a  memorial  of  the  happiest  incidents  and 
the  happiest  hours  of  my  life.  That  the  cross  has  been 
yours  makes  it  the  more  valuable,  Monsieur  le  Marquis, 
and  I  hope  when  the  formal  investiture  is  made  I  may 
be  permitted  to  retain  this"  —  touching  his  breast  — 
"  as  a  remembrance  of  a  brave  and  gallant  ally,  once  a 
foeman  who  has  proven  his  courage  and  skill  in  every 
battle  in  which  we  have  tried  the  temper  of  his  sword. 
I  ask  no  better  fate  than  to  have  a  chance  like  that 
again.  Gentlemen,  lads,  all,  three  cheers  for  Vice- 
admiral  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont !  " 

"  Gentlemen,  I  thank  you,"  said  the  vice-admiral, 
turning  to  the  officers  and  men  in  succession.  "  I  thank 
you  on  my  own  behalf,  on  behalf  of  my  family,  and  on 
behalf  of  my  King.  Monsieur  Frazier,"  he  added,  turn- 
ing to  the  first  lieutenant  and  bestowing  upon  him  a 
purse  of  gold  —  and  the  old  man  had  but  little  treas- 
ure at  his  command  to  give  away  —  "  will  you  distrib- 
ute this  trifle  among  the  crew  of  U  Inconstant,  with 
Chevalier  Macartney's  permission,  and  beg  them  to 
drink  in  their  English  fashion  the  health  of  their 


154  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

friends,  who,  if  war  should  ever  come  between  the  two 
kings  would  like  nothing  better  than  to  meet  and  dis- 
pute with  such  brave  men  the  supremacy  of  the  sea. 
Messieurs,  farewell." 

"  Gentlemen,"  cried  the  first  lieutenant,  turning  to 
the  officers  behind  him,  "will  you  be  good  enough 
to  man  the  first  cutter?" 

"  This  is  a  further  honor,"  said  the  marquis,  as  he 
followed  them  to  the  gangway. 

Hat  in  hand  and  sad  at  heart,  Macartney  escorted 
them.  On  leaving  a  ship  the  senior  in  rank  always 
goes  last.  After  the  officers  had  taken  their  stations 
in  the  thwarts,  Breboeuf  saluted  Macartney,  for  whom 
he  had  a  great  admiration,  and,  followed  by  Aurore, 
who  dropped  the  young  officer  a  courtesy,  walked  down 
the  accommodation  ladder.  The  vice-admiral  motioned 
to  his  grandson  and  then  turned  to  Louise. 

The  girl  was  very  pale.  She  stood  with  her  hands 
clasped  in  front  of  her ;  she  was  deeply  agitated. 
Scarcely  a  year  before  she  had  been  at  school  in  the 
quiet  of  a  convent.  She  had  not  reached  womanhood, 
a  glance  revealed  that,  but  the  experiences  crowded 
into  the  last  year  of  her  life  had  been  so  stupendous 
that  they  had  developed  her  more  rapidly  than  five 
years  of  ordinary  existence. 

She  had  been  swept  into  prison  in  the  Terror.  Her 
father  had  been  torn  from  her  arms  there  and  sent  to 
the  guillotine.  The  old  vice-admiral,  by  the  sacrifice 
of  all  that  was  left  him,  and  by  the  exercise  of  tre- 
mendous courage  and  adroitness,  had  secured  her 


THE   COMTESSE   SAYS    AU    REVOIR  155 

release  and  that  of  his  grandson,  the  young  comte. 
They  had  made  that  wild  dash  across  France,  and 
then  had  come  the  experiences  of  the  past  two 
months. 

Macartney  had  come  into  her  life.  His  love  had 
enveloped  her  like  the  sunshine  a  flower.  Was  she 
for  France,  after  all  ?  Things  looked  different  to 
her  in  the  hour  of  parting.  Did  she  love  the  man 
who  loved  her  ?  Why  was  the  thought  of  separation 
so  bitter  to  her  ? 

The  vice-admiral  was  keen  eyed.  He  read  men  and 
women  as  he  read  a  book.  Something  of  what  was 
passing  in  the  girl's  breast  he  could  understand. 
He  looked  from  her  to  Macartney.  The  man  was 
scarcely  less  pale  and  nervous  than  the  woman. 

The  vice-admiral  had  not  changed  his  views  at  all. 
He  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of  recognizing  this 
sailor,  Chevalier  of  St.  Louis  though  he  had  made  him, 
as  a  suitor  for  his  granddaughter,  the  Comtesse  de 
Vaudemont.  But  if  the  vice-admiral  knew  the  signs, 
that  young  man  loved  the  young  woman  with  a  gen- 
uine passion.  He  was  about  to  sever  them.  There 
was  no  probability  that  they  would  ever  meet  again. 
He  could  afford  to  be  kind.  He  deliberately  turned 
and  walked  very  slowly  aft  a  little  space.  The  tacit 
permission  was  patent. 

"  Mademoiselle  !  "  said  Macartney,  stepping  nearer. 
The  eyes  of  the  whole  crew  were  upon  them,  although 
of  course  they  could  not  hear  any  of  the  conversation. 

"  Not  now,"  said  the  girl.     "I  —  I  cannot  bear  it !  " 


156  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Will  you  think  of  me — will  you  not  give  me  one 
word  ?  Can  I  not  hope  ?  " 

"  I  am  f  —  "  her  voice  faltered.  The  word  died  away 
in  her  throat.  She  bit  her  lip.  "For — for  France," 
she  said  bravely. 

"  Don't ! "  said  Macartney,  pleadingly.  "  Don't  leave 
me  without  a  word  I  Only  one  I  " 

The  vice-admiral  had  turned  and  was  coming  toward 
the  gangway.  In  another  moment  he  would  be  beside 
them.  She  did  not  want  to  say  it,  but  in  spite  of  her- 
self the  word  trembled  on  her  lips. 

"  Adieu,"  she  forced  herself  to  whisper. 

"  Not  that  !  "  said  Macartney. 

"  Come,  my  child,"  said  the  vice-admiral,  taking  her 
tenderly  by  the  hand.  "  Adieu,  Monsieur  le  Chevalier," 
he  added,  extending  his  hand  to  Macartney. 

"Adieu,  Monsieur  le  Vice-admiral." 

Louise  also  extended  her  hand  to  him.  He  caught  it, 
bent  low  over  it,  kissed  it.  Outwardly  it  was  formal 
pressure  ;  actually,  through  his  lips  passed  all  the  feel- 
ings of  his  heart. 

"  Mademoiselle,"  he  said  softly,  "  for  God's  sake,  a 
word,  only  a  word  I " 

"  Au  revoir,"  murmured  the  girl. 

Macartney  drew  back. 

"  Thank  God  for  that  word  !  "  he  said  softly. 

Escorted  by  her  grandfather,  Louise  descended  the 
ladder  and  took  her  place  in  the  boat. 

"  Shove  off  !  "  cried  the  first  lieutenant.  "  Out  oars! 
Give  way  I  Handsomely !  " 


THE   COMTESSE   SAYS   AU   REVOIR  157 

As  the  cutter  swung  clear  of  the  side  of  the  ship  a 
long  lance  of  light  leaped  out  from  a  gun  forward,  fol- 
lowed by  a  great  burst  of  smoke  and  the  report  of  a 
discharge.  One  shot  succeeded  another,  until  the  full 
number  of  a  vice-admiral's  salute  had  been  fired.  The 
frigate  was  shrouded  in  smoke.  The  marquis  stood  up 
in  the  cutter,  hat  in  hand,  while  the  cheers  of  the  men 
came  faintly  to  him  through  the  commotion. 

Louise,  too  proud  to  seek  refuge  in  that  womanly 
vent  for  emotion,  tears,  stared  eagerly  back  toward  the 
ship  with  brimming  eyes,  and  Macartney,  standing  mo- 
tionless in  the  open  gangway,  the  sunlight  flashing  on 
his  brilliant  uniform,  gazed  eagerly  after  the  little  boat 
that  carried  his  heart  to  the  distant  shore. 

There  was  a  strange,  unusual  dignity  about  him  ; 
the  pain  of  a  great  bereavement  mingled  with  the 
exaltation  of  a  great  passion. 


BOOK  III 
THE   MEDITERRANEAN 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  FRANCE   OF   IDEAS   AND   ITS   MASTER 

MAY-TIME  in  southern  France  —  land  of  the  minstrel 
and  of  the  troubadour,  land  of  love  and  romance, 
land  of  the  birds  and  of  the  flowers.  Sunshine  and 
morning  upon  the  heaving  tide  that  washes  grim- 
walled,  cannon-circled,  battle-scarred  Toulon.  Again 
great  ships  rise  and  fall  on  the  swelling  seas. 

Five  years  have  elapsed  since  a  nation  killed  a  King, 
struck  down  privilege,  and  sent  aristocracy  of  birth 
•reeling  from  its  pedestal,  that  aristocracy  of  talent 
might  rise  to  the  point  of  vantage.  That  Republic 
at  which  kingdoms  mocked  and  legions  struck  seems 
more  of  an  assured  fact  to-day.  The  poor  fatuous 
Regent  is  about  to  assume  the  royal  title,  since  the 
little  lad,  most  pitiful  of  children  in  history,  whom 
men  have  fondly  styled  Louis  XVII,  King  by  the 
grace  of  God,  is  fast  sinking  into  madness  and  death 
beneath  the  inconceivable  treatment  meted  out  to  him 
by  the  cruel,  merciless  Convention's  order  —  the  boy's 
glory  and  his  misfortune,  his  only  merit,  his  only  fault, 
being  in  his  sonship  to  Louis,  the  faineant  of  his  race, 
and  Marie  Antoinette,  who  might  better  than  her  hus- 
band have  worn  the  crown.  Alas,  the  grace  of  God 
indeed ! 

M  161 


162  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

But  nobody  minds  what  the  Comte  de  Provence,  the 
Regent,  does,  or  does  not;  what  he  assumes  or  what  he 
refuses.  He  and  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont  and  their 
kind,  in  the  presence  of  rapidly  enlarging  Republican 
France,  stand  dazed  and  futile  before  the  steady  ad- 
vance of  those  ideas  which  they  are  so  hopelessly 
.nadequate  either  to  understand  or  to  assimilate.  They 
have  seen  their  plans  fail,  their  hopes  diminish,  their 
dreams  vanish.  Their  visions  of  the  future  are  but 
baseless  fabrics  after  all.  Nothing  is  left  them  but 
a  resignation  they  will  not  experience,  an  acquiescence 
in  the  grim  realities  of  the  present  which  they  cannot 
give. 

There  is  something  in  this  Republic,  then,  which  they 
have  failed  to  apprehend.  Madame  Roland,  mocking 
at  liberty,  has  gone;  Danton,  with  his  audacity,  has 
gone;  Robespierre,  the  "sea-green  incorruptible,"  has 
gone ;  Marat,  "  friend  of  the  people,"  has  gone.  These 
all  made  their  exit  by  the  very  same  way — the  way  of 
the  King,  the  way  of  the  Queen,  the  way  of  nobility 
—  a  via  dolorosa  indeed,  and  as  such  has  ever  been 
a  royal  road.  Yet  the  Republic  remains.  It  has  out- 
lived them  all.  Will  it  survive  everything  ?  Is  there 
nothing  that  can  take  the  government  out  of  the  hands 
of  the  people  once  they  have  grasped  it  ?  Democracy 
has  triumphed  for  five  years.  Will  it  triumph  to  the 
end  —  in  France  ? 

What  are  the  present  conditions?  The  Directory 
is  there,  the  Convention  is  there,  the  guillotine,  chief 
instrument  of  deliverance,  is  there.  The  new  calendar 


THE   FRANCE   OF    IDEAS    AND   ITS   MASTER        163 

is  still  unchanged.  Abolished  God  has  not  been  re- 
established by  legislative  enactment.  The  jargon  of 
affectation  with  which  it  was  thought  necessary  to 
ring  out  the  old  and  ring  in  the  new  still  remains, 
though  already  falling  into  some  disuse.  "  Monsieur  " 
almost  stands  on  an  equal  footing  with  "citoyen." 
Now  "  madame  "  and  "  mademoiselle  "  are  coining  back. 
Men  are  beginning  to  be  dissatisfied.  And  there  are 
other  evidences  of  change. 

For  one  thing  is  still  the  same  as  it  was  in  the  days 
when  majesty  and  not  the  people  ruled.  Men  must 
work  while  women  weep;  the  world  so  runs  away 
whether  King  or  commoner  is  supreme  in  the  land. 
The  universal  panacea  for  all  human  ills  is  not  found 
after  all  in  the  words  "  Libertt,  Egalitt,  Fraternity" 
be  they  never  so  loudly  proclaimed. 

Thoughtful  men  have  come  to  realize  that  the  des- 
tiny of  France  is  in  the  hands  of  a  certain  little  captain 
whom  we  met  at  Toulon.  Men  are  glad  of  it,  too,  for 
men  love  the  little  captain.  And  the  question  of  the 
hour  is,  "  What  will  he  do  with  France  —  with  us, 
indeed?" 

The  little  captain  is  captain  no  longer.  He  has  been 
reduced  in  rank,  and  men  who  serve  under  him,  and 
would  gladly  die  for  him,  call  him  "The  Little  Cor- 
poral." The  name  brings  up  the  story  of  the  bridge 
at  Arcola ;  a  slight  boyish  figure  in  a  hell  of  fire  carry- 
ing the  flag,  that  tricolored  flag,  not  only  of  France 
but  of  the  new  idea !  The  new  idea  which,  despite 
even  the  genius  of  the  little  captain,  wins  in  the  end, 


164  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

though  it  takes  nearly  a  century  before  it  finally 
triumphs  —  in  France. 

In  command  of  the  never-to-be-forgotten  Army  of 
Italy,  the  little  captain  has  recently  completed  the 
most  marvellous  military  campaign  in  all  history. 
Alexander,  Hannibal,  Csesar,  Charles  XII  —  he  can 
lesson  them  all.  There  are  no  more  worlds  to  con- 
quer beyond  the  Alps  and  the  Apennines,  and  he  starts 
to-day,  the  19th  of  May,  1798,  with  the  very  flower  of 
the  French  in  his  train,  for  Egypt;  where  he  would 
fain  follow  Alexander's  route  —  and  no  Ganges  nor 
Indus  will  estop  him  in  his  progress.  He  will  strike 
England  in  that  treasure-house  of  the  ages,  India  and 
the  Orient.  He  will  bring  the  world  of  the  East  under 
his  sway  as  well  as  the  world  of  the  West. 

The  march  of  ideas  must  go  on  even  against  the 
Sun  !  In  his  own  words,  "  The  genius  of  liberty  which 
has  made  the  Republic  the  arbitress  of  Europe  declares 
that  she  shall  be  so  to  the  most  remote  seas  and 
nations." 

And  there  in  the  brightness  of  the  spring  morning 
he  stands  upon  the  quay,  where  the  hapless  old  men 
and  young,  the  matrons  and  maidens,  the  children  of 
Toulon,  had  fallen  under  the  murdering  hands  of  the 
sans  culottes,  himself  energetically,  wrathfully,  but 
vainly  protesting,  five  years  before. 

A  small,  a  slender  figure.  If  size  were  a  criterion,  he 
would  be  lost  amid  the  brilliant  staff  which  surrounds 
him.  He  is  pale  and  emaciated.  His  long  chestnut 
hair  falls  to  his  shoulders  under  his  gorgeously  laced 


THE   FRANCE   OF   IDEAS  AND   ITS   MASTER        165 

and  feathered  chapeau.  The  brilliancy  of  his  uniform 
would  attract  attention  were  it  worn  by  a  lesser  man, 
but  one  thinks  of  nothing  in  his  presence  but  his  face, 
thin,  clean  cut,  stamped  with  the  pride  and  the  genius 
of  a  greater  than  Caesar.  Had  he  more  flesh,  were  he 
not  so  thin,  not  to  say  gaunt,  he  were  as  handsome  as  a 
Greek  god. 

Not  Jove  himself  possessed  a  more  majestic  brow,  a 
firmer  jaw,  a  more  massive  head  ;  not  the  eagle  a 
clearer,  keener,  colder  eye  —  the  grey-blue  eye  of  the 
masters  of  men  !  Antinoiis  himself  had  not  more 
beautiful  features.  The  one  blemish  in  his  appearance 
was  in  his  complexion,  which  was  slightly  disfigured  by 
faint  traces  of  the  ravages  of  an  odious  and  disgusting 
disease  —  the  itch.  And  it  was  this  sickness  which  kept 
him  thin  and  fragile,  and  gave  the  impression  of  poor 
health  that  he  presented.  At  the  siege  of  Toulon  a  man 
suffering  that  dread  malady  had  been  killed  before  him, 
and  his  blood  deluging  the  little  captain  had  given  him 
the  loathsome  disease  which  the  skill  of  physicians  had 
not  been  able  as  yet  entirely  to  eradicate  from  his  system. 

But  those  who  judged  him  physically  from  his  ap- 
pearance were  sadly  mistaken  in  their  estimate  of  his 
powers.  In  reality  the  man's  frame  was  of  iron  —  like 
his  will.  Indeed,  nature  had  been  kind  to  him.  In 
addition  to  all  of  these  attributes  of  ambition  and 
command,  she  had  given  him  that  last  completing  touch 
without  which  greatness  cannot  be,  and  which,  in 
default  of  a  better  name,  men  call  magnetism. 

The  young  general,  for  he  was  not  yet  twenty-nine 


166  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

years  of  age,  stood  perfectly  quiet  on  the  quay  at  the 
head  of  the  steps  to  the  landing,  yet  there  was  some- 
thing in  the  very  atmosphere  that  surrounded  him  that 
evoked  admiration  and  caused  it  to  burst  spontaneously 
into  acclaim. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  he  at  last,  "  is  all  ready  ?  " 

He  threw  one  swift  glance  about  him,  sweeping  the 
crowd  as  he  turned  his  head,  and  every  man  in  the  ranks 
behind  him  immediately  felt  that  he  had  received  a 
personal  inspection  which  had  searched  out  even  the 
thoughts  of  his  heart.  He  looked  up  toward  the  bal- 
conied window  of  one  of  the  buildings  overlooking  the 
harbor.  His  keen  glance  detected  there  among  many 
others  a  woman.  By  her  beauty  and  her  charm  she  was 
no  unfitting  mate  for  this  Olympian  Eagle.  He  lifted 
his  hat,  threw  back  his  head,  and  smiled  at  her.  His 
smile  was  as  sweet  as  his  face  was  strong,  and  Josephine 
bowed  her  head  upon  the  window-sill  and  burst  into  tears. 
She  was  not  alone  in  that.  There  were  many  women  who 
wept  as  they  gazed  upon  the  cheering  crowd.  For  most 
of  them  Fate  had  in  reserve  the  bitter  fortune  of  the  be- 
reft. For  of  all  the  vast  multitude  but  few  save  the  little 
general  ever  came  back  from  that  ill-fated  expedition. 

"Let  us  embark,  messieurs,"  said  the  little  captain, 
descending  the  stairs  toward  the  barge  awaiting  him, 
which  after  he  entered  it  immediately  pulled  away  from 
the  quay. 

In  his  wake  followed  boat  after  boat  containing  his 
staff  and  the  grenadiers  of  his  personal  guard — the  rest 
of  the  party  had  long  since  repaired  on  board  the  ships. 


THE   FRANCE   OF   IDEAS   AND   ITS  MASTER        167 

Before  them  rose  a  great  ship-of-the-line,  the  most  mag- 
nificent vessel  that  had  ever  been  designed  to  win  the 
mastery  of  the  seas.  In  compliment  to  this  man's 
ambition  the  name  L'Orient  was  traced  in  letters  of 
gold  across  her  stern. 

As  he  mounted  her  towering  sides  the  yards  were 
manned  and  the  cannon  of  her  batteries  thundered  forth 
an  imperial  salute  to  the  captain  of  the  armies  of  the 
Republic. 

Presently  the  boats  were  run  up  to  the  davits,  signals 
were  broken  out  at  the  masthead  of  IS  Orient,  capstans 
were  manned,  hundreds  of  brawny  sailors  heaved  upon 
the  straining  cables,  sails  were  dropped  from  the  ponder- 
ous yard-arms,  and  slowly  the  vast  armada  of  thirteen 
great  ships-of-the-line,  besides  numbers  of  frigates, 
corvettes,  brigs,  gunboats  and  cutters,  and  hundreds  of 
transports  crowded  with  troops,  got  under  way.  Slowly 
they  sailed  down  the  harbor,  past  Fort  Malbosquet, 
past  promontory  L'Eguillette,  where  the  general-in- 
chief  had  first  given  assurance  to  the  world  that  he  was 
a  man  and  a  soldier ;  passed  through  the  outer  road, 
past  Cape  Brun  and  past  the  rocky  promontory  of  Cape 
Garonne  out  into  the  blue  Mediterranean,  whose  farther 
waters,  beating  on  ancient  shores,  had  been  cut  by 
Alexander's  keels;  whose  waves  had  washed  the  streaks 
of  Cleopatra's  boats,  or  buffeted  the  bows  of  the  galleys 
of  Antony  and  the  young  Octavius.  As  of  old,  once 
more  they  upbore  Caesar  and  his  fortunes  ! 

And  somewhere,  beneath  the  distant  horizon,  cruised 
the  squadron  of  Horatio  Nelson. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

"FOR  YOU  AND   FRANCE" 

THROUGHOUT  the  teeming  years  crowded  with  such 
events  as  have  been  rarely  compressed  within  a  similar 
period  of  time,  Macartney  had  borne  a  stirring  part. 
He,  in  his  stanch  frigate,  had  made  a  name  and  repu- 
tation for  himself  than  which,  among  the  lesser  lights 
of  that  brilliant  epoch,  there  were  none  higher.  Elect- 
ing to  remain  in  his  frigate  he  had  not  been  able  to 
participate  in  the  aged  but  heroic  Howe's  battle  with 
Villaret-Joyeuse  on  the  "  glorious  first  of  June,"  1794. 
Nor  had  he  been  with  slow-going  Hotham  and  chafing 
Nelson  in  the  Mediterranean  when  the  latter  took  the 
ffa  Ira  and  Le  Censeur  from  Admiral  Martin  in  1795. 
Neither  did  he  follow  stout-hearted  Jervis  off  Cape  St. 
Vincent  in  1797  when  he  dashed  through  the  Spanish 
fleet,  where  Nelson  laid  the  foundation  stone  of  that  series 
of  prodigious  exploits  which  made  him  the  admiration  of 
the  seamen  of  the  world  then  and  thereafter.  Nor  was 
he  with  stanch  old  Adam  Duncan  when  he  crushed 
the  sturdy  Dutchman  at  Camperdown  later  in  the  same 
year. 

These  were  places  for  ships-of-the-line,  and  while 
Macartney  and  the  Inconstant  might  have  been  attached 
to  one  or  the  other  of  the  great  fleets  with  which 

168 


"FOR   YOU   AND   FRANCE"  169 

Britain  proved  her  lordship  of  the  sea,  he  had  sought 
for  and  had  obtained  a  roving  commission,  more  in  con- 
sonance with  a  temper  which  chafed  at  restraint  and 
acted  most  brilliantly  when  alone.  The  Inconstant  had 
harried  the  Mediterranean  and  swept  the  narrow  seas. 
Prize  after  prize  had  been  taken  and  sent  in,  some  of 
them  of  great  value,  and  the  account  with  the  Admi- 
ralty Commissioners  to  Macartney's  credit  in  prize 
money  was  a  constantly  increasing  one.  He  never 
touched  a  penny  of  it,  and  it  amounted  at  the  opening 
of  the  year  1798  to  the  enormous  sum,  to  him,  of  thirty 
thousand  pounds. 

The  temper  of  the  man  had  materially  changed.  He 
had  before  been  a  gay,  careless,  insouciant  Irishman. 
He  had  become  a  cool,  determined,  persistent,  and  am- 
bitious man.  He  ruled  his  crews  with  an  iron  hand. 
There  was  no  more  efficient  'body  of  men  on  any  ship 
in  the  King's  service  than  those  he  commanded.  In 
spite  of  his  stern  and  rigorous  domination  of  them  the 
officers  and  men  adored  him.  In  the  first  place,  he  was 
a  brilliant  success.  As  has  been  noted,  the  record  of  the 
Inconstant  for  prize  money  was  greater  than  that  of  any 
ship  in  the  service.  In  the  second  place,  he  was  as 
brave  as  a  lion,  and  if  there  is  any  quality  in  a  com- 
mander that  appeals  to  a  subordinate,  especially  to  a 
sailor,  it  is  that  of  courage.  The  man's  daring  was 
unbounded.  In  the  third  place,  he  was  a  seaman  par 
excellence  in  a  day  which  produced  a  body  of  captains 
to  which  there  is  no  parallel  save  in  the  American  sea 
kings  of  1812-15. 


170  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

Macartney  had  lived  so  long  on  board  the  frigate, 
handling  her  under  all  conditions  of  weather  and 
locality,  that  he  grew  to  know  her  as  a  husband  the 
wife  he  loves.  There  was  no  trick  of  his  profession  of 
which  he  was  not  master.  There  was  no  demand  in 
pressing  exigency  to  which  he  was  not  equal.  The 
Inconstant  kept  the  sea  for  longer  periods  than  were 
usual  in  the  service,  but  during  their  infrequent  sojourns 
in  port  for  refitting  or  repairing,  her  men  had  more 
money  to  spend  and  therefore  had  a  better  time.  To 
be  a  member  of  her  crew  was  a  hall  mark  of  aristocracy 
on  the  water.  The  Inconstants  carried  themselves  in 
the  cockiest  way,  compared  to  the  crews  of  other  less 
fortunate  frigates,  who  hated  them  heartily.  They 
were  as  ready  to  uphold  their  claim  as  the  paragon  ship 
of  the  service,  on  shore  among  friends,  as  at  sea  among 
enemies. 

Nor  had  the  career  of  the  Inconstant  been  entirely 
taken  up  with  the  capture  of  prizes  alone.  She  was 
as  ready  for  a  fight  —  in  that  at  least  the  Irishman  had 
not  altered  with  the  passing  years  —  as  she  was  for  a 
chase.  In  five  years  fortune  had  vouchsafed  her  four 
opportunities  for  distinction. 

She  had  actually  cut  out  with  her  boats,  from  the 
Great  Road  at  Toulon,  a  heavily  armed  sloop-of-war 
surprising  her  at  anchor,  confident  in  the  protection  DJ 
the  batteries.  She  had  next  captured,  after  a  running 
fight  of  several  hours,  a  man-of-war  brig  and  a  heavy 
corvette,  singly  no  match  for  her,  together  bringing  a 
much  greater  number  of  men  and  a  heavier  weight  of 


"FOB   YOU   AND   FRANCE"  171 

metal  to  bear  upon  her.  Macartney's  brilliant  seaman- 
ship had  enabled  him  to  separate  the  two  ships,  strike 
them  alternately,  and  finally  bring  them  both  to  a  sur- 
render. He  had  been  offered  a  ship-of-the-line  for  this, 
but  had  declined  it.  His  third  exploit  was  the  capture 
of  La  Dame  Blanche,  a  frigate  of  force  slightly  less 
than  his  own,  although  a  practical  match  for  the  Incon- 
stant, after  a  half  hour  of  brilliant  fighting. 

His  last  and  greatest  achievement  had  been  a  stand-up, 
old-fashioned  fight,  yard-arm  to  yard-arm,  with  a  heavily 
manned  French  razee,  Le  Quatorze  Juillet,  of  fifty  guns. 
The  razee  had  been  totally  dismasted,  half  of  her  people 
killed  and  wounded,  her  guns  dismounted,  her  hull 
riddled  like  a  sieve,  before  she  surrendered  herself  to 
her  smaller  antagonist.  The  Inconstant  herself  was  not 
in  much  better  condition.  The  defence  of  the  other 
ship  had  been  desperate,  and  her  heavy  guns  had 
worked  fearful  havoc  upon  the  frigate.  Macartney 
had  been  seriously  wounded  toward  the  close  of  the 
action. 

The  two  vessels  were  patched  up  somehow,  and  when 
the  frigate  limped  into  Portsmouth  Harbor  under  a 
jury  foremast,  dragging  after  her  the  sinking  hulk  of 
the  razee,  England  rang  with  the  splendid  exploit. 
There  had  been  a  baronetcy  in  one  of  the  branches  of 
the  Macartney  family,  a  creation  by  James  II  when 
he  was  in  Ireland,  which  had  lapsed,  and  King  George 
III  was  graciously  pleased  to  revive  it  for  the  benefit 
of  the  captor  of  Le  Quatorze  Juillet. 

Again  Macartney  was  offered  a  ship-of-the-line,  with 


172  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

a  promise  of  a  rear- admiral's  flag  at  the  next  promotion, 
and  again  he  refused.  Indeed,  he  had  been  permitted 
to  fly  a  commodore's  broad  pennant  for  a  year.  He 
would  wait  until  he  got  a  rear-admiral's  flag  before 
giving  up  his  invaluable  and  beloved  frigate,  which 
was  docked  and  thoroughly  repaired  for  further  ser- 
vice. And  there  was  a  reason  other  than  the  success 
he  had  won  in  her  that  made  him  cling  to  his  ship. 

For  five  years  he  had  been  pursuing  an  end  with  a 
singleness  of  purpose,  a  persistence,  astonishing  to 
Nelson  and  those  who  had  known  him  in  years  be- 
fore. He  was  the  very  antipodes  of  the  name  of  his 
frigate.  Such  constancy  of  devotion  he  had  not 
dreamed  himself  capable  of,  for  before  his  eyes  daily 
throughout  the  period  that  had  elapsed  had  been  the 
picture  of  a  woman.  Warm  in  his  heart  he  had  her 
lovely  face  as  he  saw  it  that  morning  when  she  said 
good-by  to  him  at  the  gangway  of  the  ship. 

Responsive  to  the  legend  beneath  his  coat-of-arms, 
"J'espere"  his  heart  beat  with  hope.  He  loved  her 
as  he  loved  the  light  of  heaven ;  he  loved  her  as  he 
loved  the  heaving  sea  ;  he  loved  her  as  he  had  never 
loved  home,  nor  country,  nor  friends.  He  loved  her 
as  he  had  never  loved  man  nor  woman.  She  had 
hallowed  his  ship  by  her  presence.  Until  he  became 
an  admiral  he  would  never  leave  it.  The  silent  cabin 
where  she  had  dwelt  spoke  to  him  of  her.  The  decks 
he  daily  trod  had  been  pressed  by  her  foot;  in  the 
shadow  cast  by  the  towering  pyramids  of  canvas  she  had 
stood  and  marked  the  rush  of  water  sparkling  alongside. 


"FOR   YOU   AND   FRANCE**  178 

For  her  the  guns  had  thundered.  For  her  the  wind 
had  sung  its  songs  through  the  tracery  of  rigging  and 
of  spar.  Unlike  every  other  captain  in  the  service, 
he  had  abandoned  his  gig,  and  made  the  cutter  which 
had  brought  her  to  and  carried  her  from  the  ship 
his  own  boat  on  all  occasions.  When  he  captured  a 
prize,  it  was  for  her.  When  he  struck  mightily  upon 
the  enemy,  it  was  for  her.  When  he  suffered  from  the 
wound  which  had  stricken  him  down  in  the  moment 
of  his  greatest  victory,  it  was  for  her.  When  the 
King's  sword  had  been  laid  upon  his  shoulders,  the 
thrill  of  pride  which  filled  his  heart  was  for  her. 
Everything  that  tended  to  bring  him  the  material 
things  of  life,  to  give  him  honor  and  distinction,  to 
add  to  his  fame,  to  increase  his  station,  was  for  her  — 
only  for  her. 

For  this  man  loved  Louise  de  Vaude*mont  as  he 
loved  his  God.  So  deep  was  his  passion  that  it  could 
feed  and  grow  great  upon  remembrance  alone.  So 
great  was  his  affection  that  it  nourished  him  with 
hope.  It  was  not  possible  that  to  such  a  love  there 
should  not  at  last  come  a  complete  fruition.  His 
thoughts  were  intense  enough  to  bridge  the  seas  and 
cross  the  mountains  and  awaken  response  in  her 
heart. 

There  was  little  that  was  tangible  upon  which  he 
could  build  his  hopes,  however.  He  heard  of  the 
marquis,  but  infrequently.  The  old  man  was  too 
great  a  personage  to  be  entirely  unnoticed  by  the 
world.  Like  most  of  the  exiles,  he  journeyed  from 


174  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

land  to  land,  from  court  to  court,  in  the  interests  of 
his  master.  Once,  in  London,  Macartney  had  met 
him  at  the  King's  drawing-room.  The  marquis  had 
received  the  young  man  kindly.  Was  he  not  a 
chevalier  of  the  Order  of  St.  Louis,  a  brother  in  arms 
and  devotion  as  it  were,  for  the  act  of  the  vice-admiral 
in  investing  him  with  the  Cross  of  that  order  had,  of 
course,  been  immediately  confirmed  by  the  proper 
authorities.  And  had  not  Macartney  been  a  friend  in 
need  ?  The  old  marquis  did  not  forget  his  friends. 

From  him  Macartney  had  learned  something  of  the 
family.  Honore*  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  Austrian 
army,  which  had  fought  so  bravely,  but  so  unsuccess- 
fully, against  General  Bonaparte  in  Italy.  The  com- 
tesse  was  still  unmarried. 

"  She  has  not  lacked  suitors,  Monsieur  le  Chevalier," 
said  the  old  man. 

"  I  can  well  credit  that,  my  lord,"  said  the  young 
man,  gravely. 

"  To  all  of  them  she  turns  a  deaf  ear.  She  has  but 
one  answer  —  " 

" '  I  am  for  France,' "  softly  quoted  the  Irishman. 

"  Yes,  monsieur,  for  France.  Alas,  my  poor  country ! 
Who  would  think  it?  The  restoration  of  the  King 
seems  farther  off  than  ever.  The  boy  King  will  die 
without  ever  coming  to  his  throne.  They  murder  him 
there  in  Paris,  the  slaves,  the  cowards  !  I  question 
sometimes,  even,  whether  he  who  will  be  Louis  XVIII 
will  ever  —  but  no,  there  is  a  God  in  heaven,  monsieur. 
The  right  will  have  its  way." 


"FOR   YOU   AND   FKANCE "  175 

"God  send  it  may  be  so,"  answered  Macartney. 
"  Will  you  take  a  message  from  me  to  the  comtesse  ?  " 

"  What  message,  monsieur  ? "  asked  the  old  man, 
suspiciously. 

"  The  same,  my  lord,  that  I  gave  her  on  the  ship," 
answered  Macartney,  boldly.  "  The  same  that  you 
refused  to  allow  me  to  hope  I  should  ever  receive  a 
favorable  answer  to,  but  for  which  I  live,  nevertheless. 
I  love  her,  my  lord.  I  have  not  forgotten  her  nor 
ever  shall.  I  have  served  my  King,  and  incidentally 
yours,  to  some  purpose,  monsieur,  and  if  I  live  I  shall 
do  more.  It  is  all  to  make  myself  worthy  of  her." 

"  You  will  have  to  rise  high  and  do  much,"  said  the 
marquis,  proudly,  "  to  merit  to  stand  by  the  side  of  a 
de  Vaude*mont." 

"  Give  me  leave,  my  lord.  Were  she  a  peasant  girl 
and  I  a  king,  I  would  strive  just  as  I  do  now  for  name 
and  fame  and  riches  to  be  worthy  of  her.  For  the  rest, 
a  gentleman  is  a  gentleman,  the  world  over.  There  be 
differences  in  station,  but  the  degree  is  the  same." 

"  Upon  my  word,"  said  the  marquis,  touched  in  spite 
of  himself,  "  you  have  the  spirit  of  a  brave  man,  Mon 
Chevalier.  I  do  not  bid  you  hope.  My  decision  is  not 
changed,  but  such  constancy  merits  some  reward.  I 
will  take  your  message,  sir,  as  you  have  spoken  it." 

"  And  should  the  comtesse  marry  —  " 

"  That  is  as  it  pleases  the  comtesse  herself,"  answered 
the  marquis.  "  'Tis  not  the  custom  in  France,  but  I  have 
refused  to  put  constraint  upon  her  in  that  matter." 

"Then  when  peace  comes,  may  I — " 


176  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  I  can  give  you  no  encouragement,  no  permission, 
monsieur.  Even  were  circumstances  other  than  they 
are,  I  would  fain  not  have  her  wed  an  Englishman. 
But  of  all  Englishmen  that  I  have  met  I  still  say  that 
I  prefer  you." 

"  And  I  am  an  Irishman,"  said  Macartney,  smiling. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  marquis,  "  perhaps  that  is  why 
I  feel  so." 

Macartney  had  written  to  the  woman  he  loved 
whenever  occasion  served,  which  of  course  was  very 
infrequently,  and  whenever  he  could  get  her  address, 
which  was  more  infrequently  still.  Once  in  a  long 
while  he  had  received  a  brief  acknowledgment,  a  little 
conventional  note,  written  as  if  under  the  pressure  of  a 
powerful  appeal  and  in  spite  of  the  warnings  of  con- 
science. These  letters  breathed  prayers  for  his  welfare, 
carried  a  thanksgiving  to  him  for  his  thought  of  her. 
They  were  more  precious  than  rubies  to  him. 

Once,  after  the  capture  of  Le  Quatorze  Juillet,  for 
which  he  had  been  given  his  baronetcy,  he  sent  her  the 
tricolor  which  he  had  hauled  down  when  he  had  beaten 
the  great  ship  to  a  standstill.  It  had  been  drabbled  in 
the  blood  of  brave  men  as  it  had  lain  upon  the  gory  deck. 
Macartney  had  folded  it  up  with  a  copy  of  the  G-azette 
giving  an  account  of  his  action  and  stating  the  rewards 
he  had  received,  across  which  he  had  written  in  his 
bold,  flowing  hand  four  words  ;  and  he  had  sent  it  to 
her  by  a  special  messenger,  who  was  charged  to  find 
her  if  he  hunted  all  over  Europe  and  spent  a  fortune  in 
the  pursuit. 


"FOB  YOU   AND   FRANCE"  177 

She  was  at  Vienna  at  the  time.  When  the  package 
was  laid  at  her  feet,  the  messenger  withdrawing  for  the 
moment,  on  recognizing  the  writing  her  hand  shook  so 
that  she  could  scarcely  tear  off  the  wrapping.  As  she 
gazed  upon  the  hated  flag  of  the  Republic  and  read 
what  her  lover  had  done,  she  lifted  the  paper  to  her 
lips  and  kissed  it  where  he  had  written  "  For  you  and 
France."  Before  she  realized  what  she  was  doing,  she 
wrote  him  a  half  dozen  words,  which  meant  more  to 
him  than  all  the  formal  acknowledgments  and  greet- 
ings she  had  sent  him  in  four  years  :  — 

"  Monsieur,  I  wait.  I  hope  —  for  France  and  —  " 
The  sentence  was  ended  in  a  dash.  Her  hand  trembled 
when  she  wrote  at  the  bottom  of  the  page  "  Louise  de 
Vaudemont."  After  she  had  given  it  to  the  messenger 
and  he  had  gone  beyond  recall,  she  would  have  given 
worlds  to  have  recalled  and  destroyed  the  letter.  But 
in  truth  the  splendor  of  such  a  gift  in  such  a  way  had 
dazzled  her.  It  had  been  nearly  a  year  since  she  had 
heard  from  him,  and  she  had  lost  control  of  herself 
for  the  time  being. 

With  every  woman  of  France,  she  had  done  what  she 
could  for  the  Royalist  cause.  The  old  man,  in  default 
of  a  son,  for  Honore  was  busy  in  the  army,  had  come  to 
lean  more  and  more  upon  her  ;  she  was  invaluable  to 
him  as  secretary,  as  counsellor,  as  stay,  as  comfort. 
She  had  indeed  been  "  for  France,"  as  she  had  declared, 
but  she  was  no  longer  for  France  with  absolute  single- 
ness of  heart,  for  she  loved  Macartney.  Whether  any- 
thing should  ever  come  of  it  or  not ;  whether  under 


178  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

happier  auspices  she  should  ever  listen  to  his  wooing 
with  a  beating  heart ;  whether  she  should  ever  be  able 
to  give  herself  unreservedly  to  him  or  not,  was  a  grave 
question.  But  at  least  she  could  love  him. 

Daily  she  approached  the  Divine  in  his  behalf.  For 
him  she  turned  that  deaf  ear  of  which  the  marquis 
spoke  to  those  who  sought  her  hand.  They  were 
many.  The  penniless  granddaughter  of  a  penniless 
exile  had  the  potent  talisman  of  her  beauty  to  bring 
the  world  in  which  she  moved  to  her  feet.  With  par- 
donable vanity,  she  sometimes  stood  before  her  glass 
and  wished  that  Macartney  could  see  her  now.  For,  if 
he  loved  her  then,  what  would  he  think  of  her  to- 
day? 

The  promises  of  her  earlier  years  had  been  marvel- 
lously fulfilled.  She  had  blossomed  into  a  perfect 
woman,  nobly  planned.  A  true  ocean  daughter,  she  ; 
the  blue  of  the  sparkling  sea  shone  in  her  eye,  the 
gold  of  the  sunlight  gleamed  in  her  hair.  The  strength 
and  vigor  of  the  salt  air  had  given  her  health  and 
power  and  grace.  She  rode  the  storms  of  life  as 
buoyantly  as  the  ship  which  had  given  her  birth  had 
done.  A  true  daughter  of  wave-washed  Brittany,  a 
fitting  bride  for  a  sea  king. 

Brebceuf  adored  her.  She  was  the  reincarnation  of 
the  young  matron  he  had  followed  from  the  iron  shores 
of  Finistere  to  the  smiling  hills  and  valleys  of  Pro- 
vence when  she  had  left  Morbihan  a  bride.  Aurore, 
most  devoted  of  humble  friends  and  familiar  com- 
panions, would  have  given  her  life  for  her.  It  was  a 


"FOR   YOU   AND   FKANCE "  179 

lonely  life  the  comtesse  led.  Lacking  the  companion- 
ship of  her  own  sex  and  urged  by  old  affection  and 
intimate  association  as  well,  she  made  a  confidante  of 
the  Provencal  woman.  There  must  be  some  one  to 
whom  she  could  unburden  herself  concerning  her 
growing  passion  for  the  Irishman,  lest  her  o'er- 
fraught  heart  would  break.  It  was  to  Aurore,  then, 
that  the  girl  poured  out  her  soul. 

When  the  old  marquis  delivered  the  message 
Macartney  had  given  him  at  London  he  had  watched 
his  granddaughter  keenly.  Under  his  severe  scrutiny 
she  had  not  been  able  to  preserve  her  impassivity, 
the  artificial  calmness  of  her  rank  and  station.  The 
blood  had  leaped  into  her  face  at  the  words  her  lover 
said.  She  had  been  forced  to  turn  away  in  confusion, 
unable  to  sustain  her  grandfather's  penetrating  gaze. 
Well  versed  was  the  old  man  in  the  ways  of  men  and 
women,  and  his  heart  sank  with  pity  at  the  uselessness 
of  it  all  as  he  looked  upon  his  granddaughter. 

"  My  child,"  he  said,  firmly,  but  with  tenderness,  — 
he  was  loath  to  give  her  pain  and  there  was  little  of 
happiness  to  the  exiles  then,  — "  your  way  and  this 
man's  way  lie  apart.  He  can  never  be  anything  more 
to  you  than  he  is  to-day." 

"Here  he  is  enough  to  me  to-day,  monsieur,"  an- 
swered the  girl,  with  some  of  his  own  directness  and 
courage,  laying  her  hand  on  her  heart  as  she  spoke. 

"  Do  you  —  care  so  much  for  this  man  ?  " 

For  answer  she  put  her  face  in  her  hands  and  turned 
away. 


180  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"I  —  love  him,"  she  murmured.  "  But  there  — 
have  no  fear,  my  grandfather  —  I  am  for  —  France." 
She  smiled  piteously  through  the  tears  that  trembled 
on  her  lashes.  "We  will  say  no  more  about  it,  if  it 
please  you,  sir." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

THE   REPUBLICANISM   OP  BKEBCEUF 

THE  destination  of  the  expedition  of  General  Bona- 
parte, the  invincible  young  soldier  of  the  Republicans, 
had  been  concealed  from  every  enemy  with  extraordi- 
nary care  and  success.  Few  knew  for  what  purpose 
the  gigantic  armament  collected  at  Toulon  and  a  few 
near-by  ports  was  designed.  That  something  impor- 
tant was  in  the  air,  however,  which  would  take  Gen- 
eral Bonaparte  from  France  was  well  understood  in 
the  chancelleries  of  the  various  powers  who  were 
arrayed  openly  or  secretly  against  Republican  France. 

It  was  evident  to  the  wise  heads  who  governed  Euro- 
pean politics  that  the  individual  most  to  be  reckoned 
with  in  fighting  France  was  the  young  general  who  had 
immortalized  himself  in  Italy.  It  was  patent  also  to  the 
Comte  de  Provence,  soon  to  call  himself  Louis  XVIII 
of  France,  that  if  a  blow  was  to  be  struck  for  the  res- 
toration of  the  Bourbon  kingdom,  no  better  opportunity 
could  be  found  than  that  presented  by  the  absence  of 
Bonaparte  on  his  great  expedition.  That  was  obvious 
to  every  one,  even  to  the  fattest  and  most  stupid  of 
kings. 

La  Vendee,  then  as  always  loyal  to  the  crown,  the 
great  stronghold  of  the  last  remaining  opposition  to 

181 


182  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

the  Republic,  though  outwardly  peaceful,  was  again 
ready  to  revolt.  The  Marquis  de  Vaudemont  had 
offered  to  go  there  as  the  representative  of  the  King 
and  endeavor  to  raise  nobles  and  peasants,  equally 
devoted  to  the  Bourbon  cause,  in  rebellion  against  the 
Republic.  With  Bonaparte  adventuring  somewhere  on 
the  sea,  they  felt  certain  of  success. 

Honore  de  Vaudemont,  with  a  few  adventurous  spirits 
for  assistants,  and  with  the  sanction  of  the  Regent  and 
of  his  grandfather,  of  course,  had  entered  upon  a  perilous 
but  promising  undertaking  of  his  own,  which  was  no 
less  than  the  abduction  of  Bonaparte.  For  this  pur- 
pose the  young  man  had  resigned  his  commission  in 
the  Austrian  army  and  enlisted  in  the  French  army 
under  the  name  of  Captain  Honore.  Influence  and  the 
judicious  expenditure  of  money  had  even  secured  him 
a  lieutenant's  commission  on  the  personal  guard  of 
General  Bonaparte.  It  was  hoped  that  some  oppor- 
tunity might  arise  during  the  general's  absence  in 
which  he  might  be  seized  and  turned  over  to  the  Royal- 
ists. Some  of  the  more  desperate  in  the  plot  had 
inclined  toward  assassination,  but  Honore  de  Vaude- 
mont was  too  noble  for  murder  and  that  idea  had  been 
given  over.  When  Bonaparte  had  embarked  in  the 
Orient,  therefore,  Honore  had  been  one  of  the  soldiers 
detailed  to  that  ship. 

Pursuant  to  the  plan,  the  marquis,  accompanied  by 
his  granddaughter,  who  positively  refused  to  be  left 
behind,  repaired  to  Genoa,  incognito,  of  course,  and 
then  had  taken  passage  for  himself  and  the  comtesse 


THE   REPUBLICANISM   OF   BREBCEUF  183 

and  the  two  servants  on  a  small  Spanish  brig  bound 
for  Brittany.  They  sailed  from  Genoa  on  the  20th  of 
May.  According  to  the  best  advice  they  could  obtain, 
Bonaparte  would  not  leave  Toulon  until  nearly  the 
1st  of  June.  This,  the  marquis  calculated,  would  en- 
able him  to  reach  Brittany  and  La  Vendee  just  as  the 
dreaded  French  general  took  his  departure. 

Unfortunately,  however,  the  armada  sailed  on  the 
19th  of  May,  and  they  had  the  ill  luck  to  be  overhauled 
by  one  of  the  convoying  line-of-battle  ships  on  the  ex- 
treme flank  of  the  great  fleet.  The  officer  who  boarded 
the  Spanish  brig  at  once  perceived  that  the  marquis  was 
a  Frenchman.  That  he  was  of  the  old  regime  was  as 
apparent  as  the  other  fact.  The  brig  was  detained  and 
the  marquis  was  ordered  to  board  the  ship-of-the-line 
in  question. 

The  French  ship  was  a  magnificent  vessel  called  Le 
Tonnant,  rated  as  an  eighty-gun  ship.  She  was  com- 
manded by  the  marquis'  ancient  enemy,  Master  Jean 
Garron,  now  capitaine  de  vaisseau  in  the  Republican 
navy.  Overjoyed  at  his  opportunity,  Garron  detained 
the  marquis,  sent  an  armed  boat-crew  to  the  Spanish 
brig,  had  the  comtesse  and  the  two  servants  brought  to 
the  ship,  signalled  to  the  admiral  that  nothing  of  im- 
portance had  been  found  on  the  prize,  and  quietly  kept 
to  himself  the  fact  that  he  had  taken  some  prisoners  on 
board  his  ship. 

The  marquis,  instantly  realizing  the  predicament  in 
which  he  was  thus  involved,  would  have  killed  Garron 
on  sight  had  he  not  been  deprived  of  his  weapons 


184  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

immediately  he  had  boarded  the  ship.  The  officers  who 
had  fetched  the  comtesse  and  the  others  to  Le  Tonnant 
had  told  her  nothing  save  that  her  grandfather  had  been 
detained  and  desired  her  presence.  She  had  gone  will- 
ingly, of  course.  What  was  her  horror  and  surprise  to 
be  met  at  the  gangway,  hat  in  hand,  by  the  man  she 
had  never  forgotten,  for  he  had  caused  the  death  of  her 
father,  and  whom  she  hated  and  despised  above  all 
others  for  that  and  because  he  had  aspired  to  her  hand. 
Her  grandfather  stood  by,  outwardly  imperturbable, 
inwardly  overwhelmed  with  rage  and  dismay. 

The  captain  offered  his  hand  to  the  girl  as  she  came 
over  the  side,  but  she  turned  from  him  with  a  haughty 
gesture,  refusing  to  touch  him.  Brebceuf,  who  came 
last,  was  of  course  infinitely  astonished.  He  had  accus- 
tomed himself,  however,  in  the  service  of  the  marquis, 
to  the  habit  of  self-control  so  in  accordance  with  his 
nature,  and  he  betrayed  no  emotion  of  any  sort.  He 
did,  however,  come  to  a  sudden  and  astonishing  resolu- 
tion. On  occasion  Breboeuf  could  think  as  swiftly  as 
he  spoke  slowly. 

When  the  eye  of  the  Breton  fell  upon  his  master  and 
Garron,  when  his  mind  grasped  the  situation,  the  im- 
possible happened.  While  Garron  stared  at  him  with 
an  evil,  sinister  glance,  the  sailor  walked  deliberately  up 
to  the  marquis  and  struck  him  a  smart  blow  upon  the 
breast.  Had  the  heaven  itself  opened,  the  old  noble 
could  not  have  been  more  astonished.  Then  the 
Breton  turned  to  Garron. 

"  Vive  la  Hdpubliquef"  he  said. 


THE   REPUBLICANISM   OF  BBBBCEUF  185 

The  captain  laughed  venomously. 

"  So  your  old  servant  has  turned  at  last,  has  he  ?  " 
he  cried.  "  That's  a  brave  lad  !  He's  seen  the  light. 
Will  you  serve  the  Republic  ? "  he  asked,  turning  to 
Breboeuf. 

The  man  nodded.  He  had  already  spoken  more  than 
he  usually  did,  and  did  not  intend  to  waste  any  more 
words.  Garron  knew  him  and  his  habits  of  old. 

"  You  are  tired  of  this  ci-devant  marquis,  eh  ?  " 

Brebceuf  nodded  again. 

"They  all  desert  you,  Citizen  Vaudemont,"  cried 
Garron.  "I  will  take  you  into  my  service,  Brebceuf. 
You  can  attend  personally  upon  me,  worthy  citizen. 
Is  that  what  you  would  like?" 

Breboeuf  nodded  so  violently  that  one  might  think 
that  his  head  would  be  shaken  off. 

"  Captain  Dupetit-Thouars,"  continued  Garron, "  take 
these  people  to  my  cabin  for  the  present." 

Dupetit-Thouars,  eapitaine  de  frigate,  the  executive 
officer  of  the  ship,  with  a  look  of  intense  disgust  on 
his  handsome  face  at  his  captain's  insolence  and  dis- 
courtesy, bowed  low  before  the  marquis  and  signed  to 
him  to  precede  him  toward  the  cabin.  But  the 
marquis  stood  petrified  with  amazement,  staring  at 
Breboauf. 

"  You,  you  !  "  he  cried  at  last,  "  who  for  years  have 
eaten  my  bread  !  You,  whom  I  thought  as  faithful, 
as  loyal,  as  myself,  to  take  advantage  of  this  oppor- 
tunity !  Mon  Dieu  !  Give  me  a  sword,  some  one,  that 
I  may  kill  the  slave  I " 


186  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Ugh  !  You  traitor  !  "  screamed  Aurore,  dashing  at 
Brebceuf  with  uplifted  hands  as  if  she  would  hurl  her- 
self upon  him,  which  indeed  she  was  only  prevented 
from  by  the  interposition  of  two  of  the  sailors,  who 
seized  her  and  held  her  firmly. 

"  Come,  monsieur,"  said  Garron ;  "  be  calm,  Aurore." 

"  Breboeuf  has  deserted  us,"  said  the  marquis,  slowly 
turning  away.  "  There  is  no  longer  loyalty  in  man  !  " 

The  Breton  rolled  his  eyes,  moistened  his  lips,  and 
stared  after  the  retreating  forms  of  his  master  and 
mistress.  A  gulp,  a  convulsive  effort,  and  finally  he 
managed  to  growl  out  in  his  deep  voice  four  words, 
which  they  heard  as  they  entered  the  cabin :  — 

"  A  bas  les  aristocrates  !  " 

Surely  he  was  becoming  voluble  ! 

Again  Garron  laughed  that  ugly  laugh.  Beckoning 
to  the  Breton,  he  stalked  after  the  others  toward  his 
cabin,  while  the  ship  rang  with  laughter  and  cheers  for 
the  new,  if  belated,  convert  to  Republicanism. 

The  opportunity  which  Fate  had  furnished  Garron 
was  one  that  he  meant  to  use  to  the  fullest  limit.  At 
the  first  sight  of  the  young  comtesse,  his  old  determina- 
tion to  make  her  his  wife  had  instantly  renewed  itself 
with  an  astonishing  accession  of  desire. 

Master  Jean  Garron  was  already  married.  Among 
the  women  who  watched  the  sails  of  the  armada  whiten 
the  horizon  from  the  shores  of  Toulon  had  been  his 
wife  —  a  woman,  like  himself,  of  the  people,  and  much 
too  good  in  every  way  for  such  an  imponderous  rag  of 
circumstance  as  the  captain  of  Le  Tonnant. 


THE  REPUBLICANISM   OF   BREBCEUP  187 

The  fact  that  he  was  married,  however,  was  of  no 
importance  whatever  in  Garron's  eyes.  Divorce  was  a 
matter  of  easy  arrangement  in  France  at  that  time,  and 
it  would  not  be  difficult  for  him  to  secure  his  freedom. 
Nor  was  he  certain  that  he  really  cared  to  secure  that 
freedom.  If  he  could  get  possession  of  the  young 
girl  without  the  formalities  of  a  marriage,  or  by  and 
through  a  ceremony  which  would  not  stand  too  severe 
a  scrutiny,  he  would  not  hesitate  to  avail  himself  of  the 
opportunity.  It  were  more  agreeable  to  have  her  come 
to  him,  if  unwillingly,  at  least  of  her  own  motion  ;  but 
that  she  should  be  his,  willy-nilly,  he  had  immediately 
determined.  What  love  he  was  capable  of  was  given 
to  his  lawful  wife,  a  woman  who  had  been  thoroughly 
congenial  to  him,  but  to  whom  he  would  not  hesitate 
to  be  unfaithful. 

He  was  moved  in  his  present  determination  by  the 
remembrance  of  the  marquis'  former  treatment  of  him; 
by  the  instant  knowledge  that  in  no  way  could  he  so 
powerfully  affect  the  old  nobleman  whom  he  so  bitterly 
hated  as  by  taking  possession  of  his  granddaughter  ; 
and  last  and  more  powerfully  by  the  beautiful  maturity 
of  Louise  de  Vaudemont,  whose  glorious  womanhood 
awakened  every  sensual  passion  in  the  man's  mean  and 
vulgar  soul. 

Not  to  mince  matters,  Garron  was  a  brute.  His  im- 
portance in  France  had  greatly  diminished  in  the  five 
years  that  had  passed.  With  the  march  of  ideas,  in 
which  in  spite  of  her  excesses  France  led  the  world  and 
the  age,  he  had  not  kept  step.  In  times  of  social  up- 


188  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

heaval  many  things  come  to  the  top  which,  when  a  final 
adjustment  has  been  effected,  must  return  to  the  bottom. 
Every  revolution  is  proportioned  in  its  excesses  to  the 
degree  of  oppression  which  has  brought  it  about,  and 
the  misgovernment  that  ensues  represents  with  much 
exactitude  the  misgovernment  that  preceded.  It  takes 
time  for  the  ideal  to  master  the  idea.  Before  new 
fabrics  can  be  erected  upon  encumbered  ground  the  old 
fabrics  must  be  torn  down.  To  tear  down  is  always  a 
ruthless  and  a  fearful  pastime.  Yet  it  is  one  in  which 
the  basest  and  most  ignoble  sometimes  bear  the  leading 
parts.  To  build  up  is  godlike.  It  is  divine,  and  only 
the  great  can  do  it.  When  havoc  is  cried  and  the  dogs 
of  war  are  slipped,  it  takes  a  master  hand  indeed  to 
bring  them  in  leash  again. 

The  master  hand  was  there  in  France,  and  consider- 
ing all  that  had  occurred  it  was  working  with  astonish- 
ing quickness.  Although  it  had  not  yet  firmly  grappled 
the  reins  to  guide  the  State,  it  had  made  a  magnificent 
beginning.  Time  would  come  when  the  Garrons  would 
be  relegated  to  their  proper  places  with  the  ignorant, 
the  incompetent,  the  brutal,  the  ruthless,  the  timid,  and 
the  hesitant. 

Had  Jean  Garron  possessed  real  talent,  or  even  a 
mediocre  capacity,  he  might  have  been  flying  a  flag  by 
this  time.  As  it  was,  he  was  lucky  to  retain  his  rank. 
The  master  hand  had  not  yet  devoted  itself  to  the 
consideration  of  the  sea,  being  busy  with  interests  on 
shore,  or  Garron  would  have  been  consigned  to  obscu- 
rity, living  or  dead,  long  since.  Finding  his  influence 


THE  REPUBLICANISM   OF   BREBCEUF  189 

vanishing  more  and  more,  he  had  resolved  to  enter 
into  a  correspondence  with  the  English  from  motives 
of  self-interest  which  can  be  easily  understood.  He 
had  the  foolishness  to  undertake  this  under  the  very 
touch,  as  it  were,  of  that  master  hand,  which  well  shows 
Garron's  mental  caliber. 

He  had  longed  for  an  opportunity  of  betraying  the 
destination  of  the  expedition  of  which  he  was  a  part  to 
the  English,  but  in  the  first  place  he  had  not  known  it 
until  the  last  minute,  and  in  the  second  place  no  safe 
means  of  communication  had  hitherto  presented  itself. 
What  he  lacked  to  consummate  his  treason  to  the  Re- 
public was  opportunity.  That  would  come  sooner  or 
later.  Opportunity,  however  coy  she  may  be  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  has  an  unhappy  fashion  of  pre- 
senting herself  too  promptly  to  men  with  such  ideas  in 
their  minds.  She  was  preparing  a  way  of  destruction 
for  Garron. 

While  waiting  his  chance  for  treason  he  determined  to 
enjoy  himself  with  the  marquis  and  Louise.  The  bag- 
gage of  the  de  Vaudemont  party  had  been  brought 
aboard.  It  had  been  deposited  in  the  captain's  cabin, 
and  Garron  had  broken  open  the  portmanteaux  in  the 
presence  of  Dupetit-Thouars  and  had  then  examined 
their  contents  also.  As  luck  would  have  it  he  found  two 
papers.  One  was  the  plan  of  the  projected  uprising  in 
La  Vendee  of  which  the  marquis  was  the  head.  Another 
was  a  memorandum  of  the  conspiracy  to  kidnap  General 
Bonaparte  which  Comte  Honore  was  endeavoring  to 
engineer. 


190  THE   TWO  CAPTAINS 

Here  was  enough  to  hang  the  whole  party  to  the 
yard-arm  without  delay.  Indeed,  both  documents  were 
of  the  greatest  value.  The  rebellion  in  La  Vendee 
would  be  a  serious  menace  to  the  State.  The  conspir- 
acy of  Comte  Honore  threatened  the  life  of  him  whom 
his  countrymen  regarded  justly  as  the  hope  of  France 
and  whom  many  people  looked  upon  as  the  apostle  of 
ideas  and  the  ideal  government  throughout  the  world. 

Garron's  proper  course  was  plain.  He  should  in- 
stantly have  laid  both  documents  before  his  commander- 
in-chief.  In  the  interest  of  his  private  design,  however, 
he  chose  to  keep  them  to  himself. 

The  day  after  the  capture  of  the  marquis  and  his 
party  Garron  caused  them  to  be  summoned  to  his  cabin. 
Le  Tonnant,  like  most  of  the  French  eighties,  was  fitted 
for  a  flagship.  He  occupied  the  admiral's  cabin,  and 
the  vacant  captain's  quarters  were  given  to  the  marquis, 
more  through  the  insistence  of  Dupetit-Thouars  than 
from  any  desire  on  Garron's  part  to  make  them  comfort- 
able. Dupetit-Thouars,  who  came  of  a  noble  family  of 
Brittany,  and  who  had  been  a  midshipman  under  de  Vau- 
demont  in  the  East  Indies,  had  adhered  to  the  cause  of 
the  Republic  from  conscientious  scruples.  He  had  been 
promoted  rapidly  until  he  had  reached  his  present  posi- 
tion. No  more  gallant  officer,  no  better  seaman,  ever 
trod  a  ship's  deck  then  he,  and  it  was  a  galling  cir- 
cumstance that  he  found  himself  under  the  command 
of  such  a  vaurien  as  Garron.  Indeed,  the  captain  was 
detested  thoroughly  by  the  whole  of  the  crew,  and  it  was 
only  Dupetit-Thouars'  strong  personality,  and  the  cor- 


THE   REPUBLICANISM   OF   BKEBCEUF  191 

responding  attachment  felt  for  him  by  the  crew,  which 
maintained  any  discipline  at  all  on  the  ship-of-the-line 
and  prevented  it  from  becoming  a  hotbed  of  mutiny  and 
disaffection. 

Garron,  who  realized  more  or  less  of  the  situation,  did 
not  unnecessarily  cross  his  powerful  subordinate,  and 
had  sulkily  acquiesced  in  the  latter's  insistence  that  the 
marquis  and  his  party  be  quartered  in  the  vacant  cabin 
rather  than  in  the  steerage,  where  Garron  had  first  indi- 
cated they  should  be  disposed. 

With  the  marquis  were  his  granddaughter  and  Au- 
rore,  for  the  latter  had  absolutely  refused  to  be  parted 
from  the  comtesse,  although  some  effort  had  been  made 
to  get  her  to  go  forward  with  the  women  of  the  ship  — 
and  there  were  a  number  of  unfortunates  aboard  the 
fleet,  both  forward  and  abaft  the  mast.  Among  other 
supplies  for  the  comfort  and  delectation  of  the  expe- 
dition a  troop  of  ballet  girls  had  been  embarked  by 
direction  of  the  commander-in-chief.  The  seamen  had 
not  been  slow  to  follow  the  example,  under  tacit  permis- 
sion, of  their  officers,  and  the  ships  were  floating  brothels. 
The  French  navy  was  not  unique  in  that  particular, 
however.  Such  conditions  obtained  to  a  more  or  less 
degree  everywhere  then.  Aurore  had  sworn  to  throw 
herself  into  the  sea  if  she  were  parted  from  Louise, 
and  again  Dupetit-Thouars  had  intervened  so  that  her 
wishes  had  been  granted. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

GARRON    HAS    HIS    PRICE 

THE  marquis  found  Garron  seated  at  a  table  in  his 
spacious  cabin.  Le  Tonnant  was  an  old  ship  which  had 
been  completely  rebuilt  in  the  last  year.  She  had 
formerly  been  under  the  command  of  the  marquis  and 
had  once  flown  his  commodore's  broad  pennant  from 
her  masthead.  He  knew  her  thoroughly.  In  her  cabin 
he  had  almost  felt  at  home.  It  was  with  a  sense  of 
shock  therefore  that  his  eye  fell  upon  the  squat,  sinister, 
black-browed  figure  seated  where  he  himself  had  sat 
years  before. 

"  Citoyen  Vaudemont,  be  seated.  The  women,"  with 
a  glance  toward  Louise  and  Aurore,  "will  stand." 

"  While  you  remain  seated,"  returned  the  marquis, 
"we  will  all  stand." 

"  As  you  please.  In  pursuance  of  my  duties  as  an 
officer  of  the  Republic  I  have  searched  your  baggage 
and  have  found  this  —  " 

The  marquis  was  outwardly  as  impassive  as  if  cut 
out  of  marble,  although  he  at  once  recognized  the 
papers  which  Garron  held  up  and  which  it  had  been  a 
great  imprudence  for  him  not  to  have  destroyed.  Be- 
ing more  of  a  sailor  than  a  diplomat  the  marquis  had 
forgotten  that  the  thing  that  is  reduced  to  writing  is 

192 


GARRON   HAS   HIS  PRICE  193 

practically  told  to  the  winds.  His  heart  rose  in  his 
throat  as  he  saw  in  a  flash  the  consequences  of  Garron's 
discovery.  They  would  of  course  be  laid  instantly  be- 
fore Bonaparte.  His  grandson  would  be  condemned 
and  executed  ;  his  own  life  would  be  forfeited  ;  the 
rebellion  in  La  Vendee  would  be  put  down  before  it  had 
had  time  to  accomplish  anything  at  all. 

And  Louise  !  Alone  on  this  ship  in  the  power  of 
this  man  ! 

For  once  the  marquis  had  played  the  fool.  He  had 
laid  the  stakes  on  the  board  and  then  put  all  his  cards 
in  his  adversary's  hand.  The  game,  however,  was 
not  quite  played  out.  Perhaps  he  could  kill  Garron 
where  he  sat  and  destroy  the  papers.  They  would 
kill  him,  but  the  rest  would  go  free  and  the  Royalists 
in  La  Vendee  would  not  be  discovered.  He  made  a 
quick  step  toward  the  captain.  He  was  without  a 
weapon,  of  course,  but  such  was  his  passion  and  rage 
that  although  nearly  seventy  years  of  age  he  felt  that 
he  could  strangle  Garron  with  his  own  hands.  Nothing 
at  all  in  the  marquis'  demeanor  save  that  quick  move- 
ment toward  Garron  had  betrayed  what  was  in  his 
mind.  The  nobles  of  France  lived  behind  a  mask  in 
those  days.  It  was  a  part  of  their  creed,  but  Garron 
instantly  divined  what  the  marquis  would  do. 

"  Brebo3uf,"  he  called  sharply,  and  the  marquis  found 
himself  looking  into  the  barrel  of  a  pistol  held  by  his 
ancient  servitor.  The  Breton's  hand  did  not  tremble. 
With  a  dark,  inscrutable  face  he  glanced  along  the 
weapon,  which  was  pointed  straight  at  the  marquis' 


194  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

head.  Another  step  and  the  marquis  would  be  a  dead 
man. 

Nor  would  he  have  effected  anything  whatever  by 
his  endeavor.  The  old  man  stopped,  shrugged  his 
shoulders,  took  from  his  pocket  a  jewelled  snuff-box, 
and  elaborately  helped  himself  to  a  pinch. 

"  You  do  not  offer  me  a  pinch  of  snuff,  Vaudemont," 
said  Garron,  resentfully. 

"I  take  snuff  only  with  gentlemen,  monsieur,"  re- 
turned the  marquis,  calmly. 

"  My  God  !  "  shouted  Garron,  bringing  his  hand 
heavily  to  the  table. 

"  Is  there  a  God  in  France,  my  good  Garron  ? " 
queried  the  marquis.  "I  thought  the  Republic  had 
abolished  God?" 

It  was  very  dangerous  thus  to  bait  his  captor, 
but  for  his  life  the  marquis  could  not  resist.  The 
man  became  purple  with  rage.  He  tore  at  the 
stock  around  his  neck.  The  marquis  smiled  satir- 
ically, turned  away,  and  looked  indifferently  out 
of  the  nearest  port.  The  comtesse  shrank  nearer  to 
him  and  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm.  He  patted  it 
gently  and  reassuringly  and  then  Garron  spoke  again. 

"You  don't  seem  surprised,"  he  said,  recovering  him- 
self as  best  he  could  and  returning  to  the  papers. 

"  Pardon,  monsieur,  I  am  surprised  —  ah  —  that  you 
could  read  them.  That  is  all,"  said  the  marquis. 

"  Perdition  !  "  shouted  the  captain.  "  I  suppose  you 
know  what  I  am  going  to  do  with  them  ?  " 

"  I  know  very  well  what  I  should  do  with  them." 


GARRON   HAS   HIS   PRICE  195 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  What  any  officer  loyal  to  a  cause,  however  mistaken 
it  might  be,  would  do." 

"  And  that  is  ?  " 

"Lay  them  before  General  Bonaparte  at  once." 

"  What  good  would  that  do  me  ?  "  asked  Garron. 

"  No  good  at  all,  monsieur,"  answered  the  marquis, 
quickly,  who  began  to  see  that  possibly  there  was  a 
chance  for  him  after  all.  "  No  good  whatever,  my  good 
Garron.  You  would  have  your  thanks  for  your  pains. 
There  are  persons  whom  I  need  not  mention  who  would 
give  a  great  deal  of  money  for  those  documents,  and  for 
my  unworthy  life  as  well,  and  it  may  be  that  such  an 
argument  might  appeal  to  you." 

"  And  do  you  think  I  am  to  be  bought  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  think,  I  know  you  are,"  said  the  marquis, 
with  quiet  contempt. 

"  We'll  see,"  said  Garron,  brutally.  "  The  only 
question  is  the  price." 

"  Ah  !  "  said  the  vice-admiral. 

"  There  is  the  price  !  " 

As  Garron  spoke,  he  rose  and  stepped  toward  Louise, 
at  whom  he  pointed  his  finger.  The  girl  did  not 
shrink  from  him.  She  faced  him  as  boldly,  as  coldly, 
as  the  marquis  himself,  although  her  heart  quivered  at 
the  man's  approach.  The  marquis  deftly  stepped  be- 
tween the  two. 

"  You  ask  too  much,  monsieur,"  said  the  old  man. 
"  We  prefer  the  other  alternative,  whatever  it  may  be." 

"We'll  see  about  that,"  said  Garron.     "I  am  in  no 


196  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

hurry.  I'll  wait  until  we  get  to  Egypt  and  get  rid  of 
these  soldiers  —  until  we  have  the  ship  to  ourselves 
and  General  Bonaparte  is  busy  on  shore,  and  then  — 
we'll  see  !  " 

"  And  you  think  your  value  will  be  enhanced  by  our 
association  with  you,  Garron  ?  " 

"I  don't  think  anything  about  it,"  said  the  man, 
roughly,  "  all  I  know  is  that  you  give  me  the  comtesse, 
or  she  gives  me  herself,  or  these  papers  go  to  General 
Bonaparte.  You  know  what  would  be  your  fate  then  ?  " 

"  The  yard-arm,  I  suppose,"  said  the  marquis,  shrug- 
ging his  shoulders ;  "well,  'tis  not  pleasant,  this  hanging 
death,  I  believe,  but  after  one  is  dead  it  makes  but 
little  difference  how  one  is  killed.  Although  the 
method  is  one  that  does  not  commend  itself  to  a  gentle- 
man, it  will  doubtless  serve.  Besides,  we  have  been 
looking  death  in  the  face  daily  for  so  long  a  time  that 
to  me  at  least  it  is  not  unwelcome." 

"  And  how  about  the  young  comte  ?  " 

"  He  knew  the  risk  when  he  entered  upon  this  under- 
taking," said  the  vice-admiral. 

"  And  the  young  comtesse  ?  " 

"  She,  too,  can  die." 

"  Die  I  Curse  you  !  "  laughed  Garron.  "  Who  said 
she  was  going  to  die  !  She  shall  live,  and  when  I  am 
through  with  her  she'll  go  forward  to  the  crew." 

"  Monsieur,  if  you  venture  to  lay  a  hand  upon  me," 
cried  the  young  girl,  "  I  will  kill  you  and  then  myself !  " 

"  You  all  talk  well,"  answered  Garron,  looking  hate- 
fully from  one  to  the  other,  "  but  I  am  master,  and  in 


GAKKON   HAS   HIS   PRICE  197 

the  end  'tis  my  will,  not  yours,  that  will  determine  what 
happens." 

"I  demand,  as  a  prisoner  of  war,  to  see  Admiral 
Brueys,  or  General  Bonaparte,"  said  the  marquis. 
"  He  at  least  is  a  soldier  and  does  not  war  upon 
defenceless  women." 

The  old  man  intended  to  confess  to  Bonaparte  the 
whole  situation,  realizing  that  he  was  bound  to  hear  it 
anyway,  and  then  appeal  to  him  to  protect  his  grand- 
daughter. The  vice-admiral  shrewdly  realized  Bona- 
parte's position  in  France.  He  could  not  withhold 
from  him  a  certain  meed  of  admiration,  although  the 
existence  of  the  little  general  was  the  most  serious 
obstacle  to  the  restoration  of  the  monarchy  for  which 
de  Vaudemont  was  earnestly  and  zealously  laboring. 
Like  a  wise  captain  he  had  studied  from  every  avail- 
able source  the  character  and  characteristics  of  the 
successful  general. 

He  intended  to  offer  his  own  life  in  forfeit,  and  if 
necessary  that  of  Comte  Honore,  and  by  this  means  he 
hoped  to  save  Louise  and  also  to  establish  a  claim  to 
consideration  for  the  revolutionists  in  La  Vendee  who 
had  been  betrayed  through  his  mistake.  An  appeal  to 
the  magnanimity  of  General  Bonaparte  he  felt  sure 
would  bring  about  a  mere  nominal  punishment  for 
them.  Hence  his  demand  of  Garron. 

"  You  are  my  prisoner,"  returned  the  captain  of  the 
ship,  "and  I  will  send  you  to  Admiral  Brueys  or 
General  Bonaparte  when,  or  if,  I  please.  Meanwhile 
you  will  stay  aboard  this  ship.  If  you  communicate 


198  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

what  I  have  said  to  you  to  any  one,  I  swear  to  God  that 
I  will  take  mademoiselle  by  force  and  you  can  look  on  ! 
As  to  her  killing  me,  I'll  attend  to  that.  Now,  you 
can  go  !  Confine  yourselves  to  your  cabin  and  the 
quarter-deck  until  I  determine  what's  to  be  done." 

The  honors  of  the  interview  certainly,  if  result  be  a 
criterion,  were  with  Garron.  There  was  nothing  for 
the  marquis  to  do  but  go.  He  was  helpless  in  the  face 
of  the  other's  position.  There  was  one  thing,  however, 
he  could  do.  Perhaps  he  could  pay  back  a  traitor  for 
his  treason.  Nothing  since  the  death  of  their  King  had 
so  affected  the  vice-admiral  and  his  granddaughter  as 
the  defection  of  Brebreuf.  The  marquis  would  have 
staked  his  soul  upon  Brebceuf's  firmness  and  loyalty. 
He  would  have  sworn  that  the  rocks  of  Provence  could 
change  as  soon  as  he. 

The  whole  affair  had  come  so  suddenly  upon  him 
that  at  first  he  had  scarcely  been  able  to  realize  it. 
Indeed,  he  had  sought  for  an  explanation  and  had  half 
persuaded  himself  that  it  was  some  mistake,  but  when 
he  found  himself  looking  down  the  barrel  of  that  pistol 
he  was  convinced  of  the  reality  of  the  man's  desertion. 
There  was,  indeed,  no  hope  for  France  if  loyalty  like 
that  of  Brebceuf  could  so  suddenly  give  way.  The 
marquis  racked  his  brains  for  a  circumstance  in  their 
intercourse  which  would  give  him  some  clue  to  his  ser- 
vant's astonishing  conduct,  and  found  none.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact,  he  realized  that  until  they  stood  together 
upon  the  deck  of  Le  Tonnant,  Brebosuf  had  had  no  op- 
portunity during  the  five  years  to  make  such  a  declara- 


GABRON   HAS   HIS  PRICE  199 

tion.  It  was  his  first  chance  and  he  had  embraced  it. 
Well,  the  marquis  would  pay  him  back,  so  far  as  he 
could,  before  he  left. 

"  Monsieur  Garron,"  he  said  as  he  turned  away,  "  I 
will  give  you  a  word  of  advice.  Do  not  trust  the  man 
behind  you.  He  served  me  and  mine  for  years,  only  to 
betray  me  yesterday.  What  he  would  do  to  me,  that 
he  would  also  do  to  you."  If  the  marquis  could  sow 
dissension  between  the  two,  Garron  might  make  it 
unpleasant  for  the  Breton.  "  If  my  hand  had  held  that 
pistol  I  would  have  shot  him  down  like  the  dog  he  is." 

"You  hear,  Breboeuf,"  laughed  Garron,  "how  your 
former  master  thinks  of  you  ?  " 

"  Ah,"  growled  the  old  sailor,  with  something  of  a 
snarl  in  his  tones  like  that  of  an  angry  wolf. 

"  Have  no  fear  for  me,  Vaudemont,"  said  Garron ;  "  I 
can  take  care  of  myself,  and  Citizen  Breboauf  has  just 
realized  the  blessings  of  liberty.  He  is  my  friend,  not 
yours.  Now,  go  !  " 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  SHIPS   OP  NELSON 

EARLY  in  May,  1798,  Captain  Macartney  was  sum- 
moned on  board  the  Ville  de  Paris  by  signal.  The 
Inconstant  had  been  temporarily  attached  to  the  block- 
ading squadron  of  Admiral  John  Jervis,  Lord  St.  Vin- 
cent, off  Cadiz.  Indeed,  he  had  only  that  morning 
reported  his  arrival  to  the  admiral.  Knowing  that  he 
possessed  one  of  the  fastest  frigates  on  the  seas,  Jervis 
had  instantly  selected  him  for  an  important  duty. 

"  Ah,  Sir  Robert,"  said  the  veteran  old  sea  dog  as 
the  Irishman  entered  the  cabin,  "  is  the  Inconstant 
ready  for  service  ?  " 

"  As  always,  my  lord." 

"  Has  anything  appeared  on  the  narrow  seas  that  has 
the  heels  of  her  ?  " 

"Nothing  yet,  sir." 

"  How  would  you  like  to  go  into  the  Mediterranean 
and  attach  yourself  to  Sir  Horatio  Nelson's  squadron  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  nothing  better,  Admiral." 

"  Very  well.  Here  are  despatches  which  I  wish  you 
to  deliver  to  Rear-admiral  Nelson  with  the  least  pos- 
sible delay.  You  will  find  Nelson's  squadron,  which 
comprises  the  Vanguard  with  the  Orion  and  the  Alex- 
ander, somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  Toulon,  I  believe. 

200 


THE   SHIPS   OF   NELSON  201 

Perhaps  lie  may  have  been  joined  by  the  Leander  by 
this  time.  The  French  are  going  somewhere  from 
there,  but  where  the  devil  it  may  be  no  one  knows. 
Nelson  left  here  on  the  9th  to  find  out.  I  do  not  mind 
telling  you,  Macartney,  I  am  directed  to  detach  ten 
ships-of-the-line  and  send  them  to  Nelson.  This  order 
in  effect  gives  him  an  independent  command  of  a  fleet 
in  the  Mediterranean,  with  instructions  to  run  down 
Bonaparte  wherever  he  may  go.  Would  you  like  one 
of  those  ships-of-the-line  ?  " 

"  I  should  indeed,  my  lord.  But  perhaps  I  can  be  of 
more  service  in  my  frigate.  If  Sir  Horatio  has  to  chase 
the  French  fleet,  provided  it  goes  out,  he  will  be  sadly 
in  want  of  frigates,  sir." 

"  Yes,"  said  Lord  St.  Vincent,  "  and  I  am  detaching 
five,  the  Caroline,  the  Flora,  the  Emerald,  the  Terpsi- 
chore, and  the  Bonne  Citoyenne,  to  follow  you  to  him.  I 
shall  put  these  under  your  orders,  subject,  of  course,  to 
Rear-admiral  Nelson's  command." 

"Thank  you,  my  lord." 

"  While  doubtless  more  glory  might  be  gained  in  one 
of  the  capital  ships  should  Nelson  fall  in  with  the  enemy, 
as  he  must  certainly  do,  you  are  right.  You  can  do 
him  greater  service  with  the  Inconstant  and  the  others 
than  with  a  ship-of-the-line.  Almost  any  competent 
sailor  can  command  a  ship-of-the-line  creditably,  but  it 
takes  a  rare  man  to  be  a  perfect  frigate  captain  and 
scout.  I  will  tell  Nelson  in  this,"  said  the  old  admiral, 
reopening  the  paper,  "  that  I  am  sending  him  the  best 
man  and  the  best  ships  that  I  have  under  my  command. 


202  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

May  God  grant  that  all  may  go  well  with  him  in  the 
service  demanded  of  him  !  " 

"  You  need  have  no  fear  of  that,  my  lord,  I  make 
bold  to  say,"  answered  Macartney. 

"  I  have  none,"  said  Jervis.  "  You  may  tell  Nelson 
for  me  that  he  has  an  opportunity  for  distinction  such 
as  has  never  before  been  presented  to  a  man  of  his  years 
and  service." 

"  He  will  embrace  it,  my  lord." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  said  the  old  man.  "  Tell  him  that 
the  squadron  of  capital  ships  under  Captain  Troubridge 
will  follow  you  in  a  day  or  two  and  should  join  hini 
within  a  week  after  you  deliver  the  orders.  Don't  let 
anything  French  get  hold  of  you  until  you  have  seen 
Nelson." 

"Trust  me  for  that,  sir." 

*'  I  know  there's  little  danger,"  said  the  other,  "  for 
the  eastern  end  of  the  Mediterranean  is  pretty  well 
cleared  and  I  shall  keep  the  Spanish  and  French  bottled 
up  here  without  fail." 

"  Sir,"  said  Macartney,  "  I  would  deliver  those  de- 
spatches to  Lord  Nelson  if  the  seas  swarmed  with  the 
cruisers  of  the  enemy." 

"  By  God,  I  believe  you  would  !  "  laughed  Jervis. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir.  There's  nothing  afloat  that  can  over- 
haul the  Inconstant" 

"  And  it  would  take  a  big  ship,"  answered  Jervis, 
"to  cause  you  to  strike,  wouldn't  it?  Well,  good  luck 
to  you.  I  shall  remember  your  willingness  to  retain 
the  frigate." 


THE   SHIPS   OF   NELSON  203 

This  is  how  Macartney  happened  to  be  once  more 
under  the  command  of  his  old  captain.  Now  in  these 
days  of  telegraph  and  printing  presses  nothing  in  the 
way  of  military  manoeuvres  can  be  very  long  concealed, 
but  it  is  a  fact  that  so  far  were  the  English  from  know- 
ing for  what  point  the  French  armada  was  destined  that 
they  did  not  actually  learn  until  a  week  after  it  had 
taken  its  departure  that  it  had  left  Toulon.  Nelson 
in  the  Vanguard,  with  the  Alexander  and  the  Orion, 
was  still  cruising  off  the  harbor  when  Macartney  gave 
him  the  despatches.  It  had  been  some  years  since  the 
two  men  had  met,  but  the  ancient  friendship  had  been 
so  warm  that  they  were  delighted  to  be  together  again. 
Nelson  gladly  welcomed  the  approach  of  the  Irishman. 
He  was  sadly  embarrassed  for  the  want  of  scouting 
ships.  He  was  radiant  with  joy  at  the  news  that  he 
was  to  be  reenforced  and  given  a  free  and  unrestricted 
swing  in  the  Mediterranean. 

The  fleet  which  Jervis  had  prepared  for  him  was  ideal. 
When  the  new  ships  joined  he  would  have  under  his 
command  thirteen  74's,  the  finest  in  the  service,  and  a 
fifty-gun  ship,  besides  the  five  frigates  for  which  Ma- 
cartney had  not  waited.  The  frigates  indeed  joined  him 
a  day  or  two  after  the  arrival  of  the  Inconstant,  and  the 
whole  squadron  continued  its  blockade  off  Toulon. 

On  the  19th  of  May,  the  very  day  of  the  French  em- 
barkation, although  the  fleet  seeing  the  approaching 
storm  had  anchored  in  the  Great  Road,  the  weather 
being  very  threatening,  the  English  ships  were  made 
snug  for  the  night  and  bore  away  before  the  wind. 


204  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

They  were  of  course  ignorant  that  the  French  had 
embarked  and  were  only  waiting  for  favorable  weather 
before  putting  to  sea.  After  dark  it  came  on  to  blow 
one  of  the  most  terrific  gales  that  had  ever  swept  over 
the  Mediterranean.  The  Vanguard,  in  spite  of  daring 
seamanship  and  heroic  endeavor,  lost  her  main  and 
mizzen  topmasts  and  finally  her  foremast.  With  con- 
summate skill  Nelson,  and  Berry  the  flag  captain,  man- 
aged to  clear  the  wreck,  wear  the  ship,  and  get  her  head 
pointed  away  from  the  lee  shore. 

The  storm  was  so  violent  that  no  assistance  could  be 
rendered  the  flagship  by  the  rest  of  the  squadron. 
When  morning  broke  there  she  was,  apparently  a  ruin. 
The  other  ships  were  scattered  in  various  directions. 
To  signal  them  was  impossible.  The  captains  of  the 
frigates,  who  had  been  beating  up  desperately  against 
the  wind  in  an  endeavor  to  keep  company  with  the 
others,  concluded,  after  seeing  the  plight  of  the  Van- 
guard, that  the  fleet  would  be  compelled  to  run  for 
Gibraltar  to  refit.  Without  orders  they  accordingly 
squared  away  for  that  port  to  ease  their  ships  before 
the  wild  gale  and  were  soon  out  of  sight  below  the 
horizon. 

There  were  two  exceptions  to  that  manoeuvre.  One 
was  the  brig  Mutine,  a  French  prize  under  the  charge  of 
Commander  Hardy,  the  other  the  Inconstant. 

"  I  thought  Hope,"  said  Nelson,  sadly,  referring  to  the 
commander  of  the  first  of  the  flying  frigates,  as  he 
watched  them  disappear  below  the  horizon,  "would 
have  known  me  better  than  that." 


THE  SHIPS   OF   NELSON  205 

He  instantly  divined  the  course  of  reasoning  which 
had  caused  them  to  scamper  away.  He  turned  his 
glance  with  pride  toward  the  Inconstant  and  La  Mutine. 
Their  commanders  were  made  of  better  stuff.  They 
were  men  of  his  own  school.  Nelson  had  no  thought 
of  leaving  his  station.  He  never  left  a  station  so  long 
as  the  keel  over  which  he  flew  his  flag  could  float. 

As  soon  as  possible  Captain  Ball,  in  the  Alexander, 
which  was  nearest  to  Nelson,  made  fast  a  hawser  to 
the  shattered  Vanguard  and  attempted  to  tow  her  away 
from  the  shore.  The  wind  died  down  during  the 
manoeuvre  and  the  heavy  swell  which  followed  the 
storm  drifted  the  two  ships  down  upon  the  stern  and 
rocky  coast.  There  was  not  wind  enough  to  enable  the 
Alexander  to  tow  the  vast  dead  weight  of  the  helpless 
Vanguard,  and  Nelson  repeatedly  signalled  to  Ball  to 
cast  off  the  hawser,  abandon  him,  and  save  his  own 
ship.  -f 

There  had  been  bad  blood  between  Ball  and  the 
admiral,  but  the  noble  captain  of  the  Alexander  re- 
fused to  avail  himself  of  his  superior's  permission  and 
entreated  that  he  might  be  allowed  to  hold  on. 

To  all  of  Nelson's  directions  and  orders  that  he  aban- 
don the  ship,  Ball  turned  a  deaf  ear.  Nelson  became 
angry  with  him  at  last,  and  finally  broke  forth  in  fury, 
repeating  peremptorily  his  commands.  Finally  Ball 
seized  the  trumpet  and  called  out  to  the  admiral :  — 

"  I  feel  confident  that  I  can  bring  her  in  safe.  I 
therefore  must  not  —  and  by  the  help  of  Almighty 
God,  I  will  not  —  leave  you  !  " 


206  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

By  the  exercise  of  splendid  seamanship,  and  favored 
by  a  slight  increase  of  the  breeze,  he  succeeded  in  get- 
ting the  two  ships  out  of  their  dangerous  position,  and 
finally  on  the  23d  of  May  he  brought  the  Vanguard 
safe  to  Sardinia,  where  the  Orion  and  the  Inconstant  and 
La  Mutine  speedily  joined  them. 

"  A  friend  in  need  is  a  friend  indeed,"  cried  Nelson, 
going  aboard  the  Alexander  so  soon  as  the  anchors 
were  down  and  embracing  his  stubborn  but  devoted 
subordinate. 

Nelson  immediately  despatched  the  Inconstant  to 
Toulon  with  instructions  to  find  out  and  report  to 
him  any  movement  of  the  French  fleet.  With  the 
aid  of  the  other  ships-of-the-line  he  proceeded  to 
repair  the  Vanguard  where  she  lay.  Working  like 
the  Britons  they  were,  they  completely  refitted  the 
flagship,  but  with  a  jury  rig  of  course.  They  used 
a  spare  maintopmast  for  a  new  foremast,  a  main- 
topgallant  mast  took  the  place  of  the  foretopmast,  and 
so  on. 

When  the  repairs  had  been  completed,  the  flagship 
had  a  strange,  stumpy  look  under  her  jury  rig.  Origi- 
nally a  very  swift  ship,  perhaps  the  fastest  in  the  navy, 
even  with  her  diminished  sail  she  was  able  to  keep  up 
with  the  rest.  If  she  had  been  taken  to  a  dock,  the 
repairs  would  not  have  been  completed  in  four  months. 
At  the  end  of  four  days  she  was  ready  for  service.  This 
was  not  the  least  of  Nelson's  achievements.  He  could 
not  afford  to  dispense  with  the  services  of  even  a  single 
ship. 


THE  SHIPS   OF   NELSON  207 

He  was  in  a  fever  of  impatience  during  the  four  days, 
too,  which  was  not  relieved  when  just  as  the  squadron 
got  under  way  they  were  met  by  the  Inconstant  coming 
down  from  Toulon  under  a  tremendous  press  of  sail. 
Macartney,  knowing  the  importance  of  his  news,  was 
driving  her  to  get  the  best  he  could  out  of  her.  Long 
before  he  was  within  speaking  distance  flags  were  fly- 
ing from  her  masthead.  The  admiral  could  scarcely 
wait  until  the  signals  were  read  to  him. 

"  The  French  left  Toulon  Roads  on  the  20th  of  May!" 

It  was  now  the  27th  of  May.  The  armada  had  been 
gone  a  week.  Although  the  expedition  numbered 
thirteen  ships-of-the-line,  some  of  them  of  the  largest 
size,  and  countless  numbers  of  frigates  and  corvettes, 
Nelson  instantly  determined  to  pursue  them  with  the 
three  ships  in  his  command.  Before  he  could  show  a 
signal,  however,  another  set  of  flags  was  flung  to  the 
breeze  by  the  Inconstant,  and  the  admiral  received 
the  cheering  intelligence  that  Troubridge's  squadron  of 
battle  ships  was  close  at  hand.  Macartney  was  sum- 
moned on  board  the  Vanguard,  publicly  thanked  for  the 
information  he  had  obtained,  and  complimented  for  the 
promptness  with  which  he  had  attended  to  the  matter. 

No  one  knew  where  the  French  had  gone.  They 
had  headed  eastward  from  Toulon.  At  the  same  time 
the  main  body  had  left  Toulon,  other  divisions  of  the 
armada  had  sailed  from  Genoa  and  Corsica,  joining  the 
fleet  en  route.  What  could  be  their  destination?  The 
genius  of  Nelson  at  once  fathomed  it.  It  could  not  be 
outside  the  Mediterranean.  There  was  no  place  which 


208  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

presented  an  adequate  field  for  the  operations  of  such 
an  expedition  beyond  the  straits  of  Gibraltar.  England 
and  Ireland  were  alike  impossible.  Should  they  at- 
tempt to  pass  that  way,  they  would  be  gobbled  up  by 
the  huge  fleet  of  St.  Vincent.  The  north  shore  of  the 
Mediterranean  afforded  no  objective  worth  considering. 
On  the  south  shore  the  only  possible  destination  was 
Egypt.  Egypt  was  on  the  way  to  India!  The  French 
had  long  maintained  colonies  there.  Bonaparte  might 
intend  to  extend  his  conquests  over  that  land  again. 
England  was  more  vulnerable  there  than  anywhere  else. 

Failing  Egypt,  the  armada  might  be  headed  for 
Constantinople.  Nothing  much  would  be  gained  by 
going  there,  however.  In  Egypt  Bonaparte  would  be 
on  the  flank  of  Turkey  and  on  the  direct  road  to  India. 
Egypt  was  the  gateway  to  the  East.  Genius  fathomed 
the  plans  of  genius.  To  Egypt,  therefore,  Nelson  would 
go. 

Being  joined  during  the  day  by  the  other  ships 
appointed  to  his  command,  Nelson  was  not  without 
hope  of  overtaking  Bonaparte  on  the  way,  provided  that 
he  met  with  no  unforeseen  delays.  The  rate  of  sailing 
of  a  vast  and  heterogeneous  fleet  like  that  which  rumor 
accredited  to  the  French  would  necessarily  be  slow. 
Nelson  had  under  him  the  compactest  and  finest  fleet 
that  floated  the  ocean.  He  gave  orders  to  Macartney 
in  the  Inconstant,  lamenting  more  than  ever  the  defec- 
tion of  the  other  frigates,  that  he  should  not  wait  for 
them,  but  that  he  should  endeavor  to  get  on  the  track 
of  the  French,  learn  their  course  by  whatever  means 


THE   SHIPS   OF   NELSON  209 

he  could,  and  report  to  him  their  whereabouts  and  their 
destination  at_the  first  opportunity. 

Thus  the  tremendous  pursuit  began.  Every  man's 
heart  was  filled  with  elation.  Sooner  or  later  they 
must  catch  the  French  fleet.  Sooner  or  later,  'either  at 
anchor  or  under  way,  a  battle  must  be  fought, — a  battle 
which  should  astonish  the  world.  Bonaparte  had  shown 
himself  invincible,  a  very  god  of  war,  upon  the  shores, 
and  Nelson  thirsted  to  test  his  temper  upon  the  seas. 

"I  should  love,"  he  said,  "to  try  Bonaparte  on  a 
wind ! " 

With  the  ships  which  had  been  sent  to  him  there  was 
absolutely  no  fault.  The  men  who  commanded  them 
were  the  pick  of  the  British  navy.  All  of  them  had 
enjoyed  long  experience  in  war,  the  majority  of  them 
in  command  of  ships.  Most  of  them  had  sailed  with 
Nelson,  many  of  them  had  been  his  companions-in-arms 
in  desperate  encounters  upon  sea  and  shore.  He  and 
his  captains  were  allied  not  merely  by  bonds  of  service 
but  by  ties  of  friendship.  As  he  himself  said  on  that 
cruise  and  in  the  battle  which  terminated  it,  "I  had 
the  honor  to  command  a  band  of  brothers." 

Before  they  started  out,  just  after  Troubridge's 
squadron  joined  them,  Nelson  summoned  his  captains 
to  the  Vanguard,  talked  over  the  situation  with  them, 
and  then  got  under  way. 


CHAPTER  XX 

FEIENDS   ON  LE  TONNANT 

MACAKTNEY,  in  full  possession  of  Nelson's  conclusions 
that  the  French  must  be  bound  for  Egypt,  carefully 
considered  his  course.  From  the  position  of  Nelson's 
ships  as  they  had  sailed  from  Cagliari,  Sardinia,  back 
toward  Toulon,  and  from  the  course  taken  by  Trou- 
bridge  with  the  reinforcement,  it  was  evident  to  him 
that  the  French  must  have  gone  to  the  northward  of 
Corsica,  and  thence  southward  between  that  island  and 
Italy.  It  was  not  likely  that  they  would  waste  time 
by  stopping  at  Naples  or  Sicily,  but  it  was  more  than 
possible  that  Malta  might  be  their  destination.  Per- 
haps he  could  get  news  of  them  there.  Nelson,  he  knew, 
intended  to  follow  the  course  of  the  French  round 
Corsica,  so  far  as  he  could  obtain  information  concern- 
ing it. 

Macartney  determined  to  run  direct  for  Malta  along 
the  western  side  of  Sardinia.  Between  Sicily  and 
Africa  the  Mediterranean  contracted  to  its  narrowest 
width.  If  he  could  get  there  before  the  French  fleet, 
they  could  hardly  pass  without  being  observed  by  him, 
especially  if  they  were  headed  for  Malta.  If  they 
disdained  Malta  and  went  straight  to  Egypt,  they 
might  pass  through  the  Strait  of  Messina,  although 

210 


FRIENDS   ON  LE  TONNANT  211 

that,  considering  their  numbers  and  the  difficult  naviga- 
tion entailed  by  the  narrow  strait,  was  hardly  likely. 
For  Sicily,  therefore,  he  laid  his  course,  and  as  the  wind 
was  favorable  he  made  tremendous  progress. 

Few  ships  were  ever  driven  as  was  the  Inconstant. 
Yet  if  he  had  had  the  faintest  suspicion  that  upon  the 
decks  of  one  of  the  ships  he  was  striving  to  come  up 
with  he  should  find  Louise  de  Vaudemont,  the  pace 
which  to  his  ardent  impetuosity  seemed  slow  enough 
would  have  driven  him  mad. 

The  run  to  Sicily  was  made  without  any  mishap  or 
adventure.  He  spent  two  days  in  beating  across  to 
Cape  Bon  on  the  North  African  coast,  and  then  finding 
nothing  he  ran  for  Cape  Passaro.  He  heard  nothing 
there  and  determined  to  try  Malta  next.  On  the 
evening  of  the  20th  of  June  he  made  a  landfall,  which 
his  navigation  determined  to  be  that  island.  He  ran 
along  the  northern  side  of  the  island  for  the  harbor  of 
Valetta. 

The  night  was  dark  and  rainy.  The  wind  was  blow- 
ing a  half  gale.  Macartney  had  set  his  maintopgallant 
sail  over  a  reefed  maintopsail  in  his  determination  to 
drive  her  to  the  last  limit.  Going  at  a  terrific  speed 
he  ran  slap  into  the  French  fleet  in  the  darkness. 
They  had  seized  Malta  and  occupied  Valetta  and  had 
that  very  day  taken  their  departure  for  Egypt.  The 
French  ships  were  distributed  over  the  ocean  in  great 
disorder  for  miles.  Before  Macartney  realized  it  he 
was  hopelessly  mixed  up  with  the  scattered  flotilla. 

He  did  not  yet  despair  of  extricating  himself  from 


212  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

his  predicament,  however,  and  to  that  end  brought 
to  bear  all  the  resources  of  his  seamanship  and  skill. 
He  might  have  won  clear  of  the  mass  of  ships  into 
which  he  had  first  burst,  but  just  as  he  fancied  he  had 
open  water  before  him  he  ran  into  another  division. 
In  the  darkness  and  confusion  one  of  the  largest  of 
the  French  transports,  a  ship  which  had  been  in  the 
East  India  service  and  was  almost  as  big  as  a  ship- 
of-the-line,  crashed  into  him  in  spite  of  all  he  could  do 
to  avoid  the  collision.  The  shock  stove  in  the  side  of 
the  frigate  to  the  water  line  just  abaft  the  foremast. 
The  foretopmast  was  carried  away  and  the  maintopgal- 
lant  mast  speedily  followed.  The  dashing  and  beautiful 
Inconstant  was  almost  a  wreck. 

Still  her  commander  did  not  despair.  The  ship 
which  had  run  into  him  had  sheered  off  in  the  dark- 
ness. No  one  of  course  could  tell  that  she  had  been 
in  collision  with  an  English  ship.  If  no  more  French 
came  that  way  he  might  get  off.  The  men  of  the 
Inconstant  worked  with  feverish  energy  to  get  the  ship 
in  serviceable  condition  again.  But  to  no  avail.  She 
had  been  so  strained  by  the  force  of  the  blow  that  she 
made  water  badly,  and  every  wave  flooded  her  through 
her  shattered  broken  side.  Only  toiling  at  the  pumps 
enabled  them  to  keep  her  afloat.  They  had  managed 
to  rig  a  jury  foretopmast  and  set  some  sail  on  it,  but 
when  morning  came  she  was  a  sorry  hulk  indeed. 

Right  in  her  track  came  a  belated  squadron  of  French 
ships,  the  rear  division  of  the  armada.  There  were  a 
number  of  transports  convoyed  by  two  or  three  frigates 


FRIENDS   ON  LE  TONNANT  213 

and  corvettes  and  a  ship-of-the-line.  Seeing  the  be- 
draggled wreck  of  the  Inconstant,  two  of  the  French 
frigates  ran  down  toward  her  and  demanded  her  sur- 
render. It  was  useless,  of  course,  but  Macartney  could 
not  give  up  his  ship  without  a  fight.  He  stood  off  the 
two  ships  desperately,  dismasted  one,  and  seriously  cut 
up  the  other,  until  the  whole  squadron  came  swarming 
down  upon  him.  Then  the  ship-of-the-line  took  a 
hand  and  ended  the  unequal  struggle  by  a  broadside 
which  completely  wrecked  the  Inconstant. 

Macartney  had  been  seriously  wounded  and  lay  sense- 
less on  the  deck.  There  was  no  flag  to  haul  down,  for 
none  had  been  flying.  Over  half  his  crew  had  been 
killed  and  wounded.  Not  a  gun  was  serviceable,  and 
the  ship  was  in  a  sinking  condition.  The  boarders 
from  the  ship-of-the-line  took  possession  of  the  frigate 
without  further  resistance.  It  was  impossible  to  save 
her.  Her  crew  were  distributed  as  prisoners  of  war 
throughout  the  French  squadron.  Her  captain  in  an 
unconscious  condition  was  taken  aboard  the  ship-of- 
the-line. 

Nelson  had  lost  his  only  frigate  and  Macartney  had 
failed  to  give  him  the  news. 

They  were  kind  enough  to  the  English  captain  when 
they  got  him  aboard  Le  Tonnant,  for  that  ship  it  was 
which  had  captured  him,  and  at  Dupetit-Thouars'  sug- 
gestion he  was  passed  below  into  one  of  the  spare 
staterooms  opening  from  the  captain's  cabin  occupied 
by  the  other  prisoners.  The  de  Vaudemonts  had  been 
sent  below  during  the  action,  much  to  the  disgust  of 


214  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

the  marquis,  and  they  knew  little  of  what  had  tran- 
spired until  the  senseless  form  of  the  English  captain 
was  brought  into  the  cabin. 

Macartney's  face  was  grimed  with  powder  and  cov- 
ered with  blood,  from  a  nasty  scrape  of  a  piece  of  lan- 
gridge  along  his  forehead,  and  no  one  recognized  him. 
When  the  surgeon  of  the  vessel  had  examined  him  and 
pronounced  his  wound  in  the  shoulder  serious,  though 
not  mortal,  Louise  de  Vaudemont,  with  her  grand- 
father's permission,  had  offered  to  assist  in  taking  care 
of  him.  She  could  do  no  less  indeed  for  one  who  had 
been  fighting  the  battles  of  her  King  against  the  Re- 
publicans and  had  been  wounded  in  the  service. 

War  and  its  horrors  had  been  brought  close  to  her 
more  than  once,  as  it  had  been  to  many  women  during 
the  pregnant  five  years  that  had  elapsed,  and  she  was 
not  without  experience  in  dealing  with  wounds,  which 
would  stand  the  patient  in  good  stead.  Dr.  Lapierre 
was  most  willing  to  avail  himself  of  her  services,  and  he 
at  once  conducted  her  to  the  cabin  and  instructed  her 
what  was  to  be  done  until  he  came  again.  There  were 
several  Frenchmen  on  the  ship-of-the-line  who  had  been 
wounded  by  the  Inconstant' s  last  broadside  who  needed 
his  attention. 

Thus  it  happened  that  when  Macartney  opened  his 
eyes  after  a  little  space  he  saw  bending  above  him  the 
lovely  face  of  the  woman  he  adored.  He  stared  at  her 
in  complete  bewilderment,  a  curious  puzzled  look  in  his 
eyes.  Then  he  lifted  his  hand  to  his  face  and  laid  it 
across  his  eyes  as  if  to  shut  out  the  vision.  As  he  did 


FRIENDS   ON  LE  TONNANT  215 

so  his  fingers  touched  the  bandage.  He  felt  it  care- 
fully with  his  hand.  Recognition  swept  across  his 
countenance. 

"  Ah  —  my  ship,"  he  said  faintly.  "  We  —  were 
caught  by  —  the  French  fleet.  Yes  —  we  made  a  good 
fight  —  but  that  last  broadside  —  did  for  us.  What 
ship  is  this  ?  How  came  I  here  ?" 

He  was  translating  his  thoughts  into  words.  He 
opened  his  eyes  again.  His  glance  fell  once  more  upon 
the  face  of  the  woman  he  loved  bending  over  him.  He 
stared  and  stared. 

The  heart  of  Louise  de  Vaudemont  rose  in  her  throat 
and  beat  so  that  she  felt  as  if  it  would  choke  her.  Her 
bosom  heaved.  Her  body  shook  with  agitation.  If 
she  had  had  any  doubt  or  hesitation  before,  she  realized 
now  her  love  for  this  man.  France  and  the  King  ? 
They  were  as  nothing  —  love  was  all.  He  was  speak- 
ing again. 

"  Comtesse,"  whispered  Macartney,  "  is  it  another 
dream ?  I  have  seen  you  often  so  —  Louise." 

"  Monsieur,"  murmured  the  girl,  her  face  aflame  with 
color. 

"  My  God !  "  exclaimed  the  man  with  sudden  strength, 
lifting  himself  on  his  unwounded  arm  and  staring. 
"  Did  you  speak  ?  Are  you  alive  ?  Is  it  indeed  —  " 

He  stretched  out  his  hand  toward  her.  She  was 
bending  close  above  him  and  did  not  shrink  away.  His 
hand  fell  upon  her  shoulder.  She  did  not  move. 

"Yes,"  she  said,  "it  is  I." 

"  Alive  ?     Here  ?     What  happy  chance  —  " 


216  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

"  Hush  !  "  said  the  woman,  laying  her  finger  lightly 
upon  his  lips.  "I  —  you  lost  your  ship.  You  remem- 
ber? They  brought  you  here.  I  am  a  prisoner  like 
yourself." 

"  I  had  rather  die  than  lose  that  ship,"  said  Macartney, 
faintly,  "  yet  to  find  you  —  what  will  Nelson  do  ?  How 
I  have  loved  you  all  these  years  !  If  I  could  have  only 
taken  you  away  !  Oh,  if  there  was  some  way  to  carry 
the  news  !  And  to  see  you  again !  You  —  you  !  Yet 
if  I  could  only  let  the  admiral  — " 

"You  are  exciting  yourself,  monsieur,"  said  the 
woman  with  gentle  insistence  ;  "  the  surgeon  gave  me 
strict  orders  that  you  were  to  say  nothing.  You  must 
lie  still.  You  have  been  badly  wounded.  You  must 
be  quiet.  Perhaps  I  would  better  —  " 

"  You  won't  leave  me  ?  You  won't  go  away  ? " 
cried  Macartney.  "  I  shall  die  if  I  lose  you  now  !  If 
you  will  only  stay  here  by  my  side  — just  let  me  look 
at  you  !  I  will  promise  —  there  !  Sit  down.  I  shall 
say  nothing.  There's  nothing  to  be  said  but  that  I 
love  you." 

"And  to  that  I  cannot  listen,  monsieur,"  returned 
the  comtesse.  "I  —  am  —  " 

"Don't  say  again  you  are  for  France,"  cried  Ma- 
cartney ;  "  you  have  been  for  France  so  long,  now  be 
a  little  while  for  me." 

The  comtesse  smiled  at  him,  but  made  no  answer. 

"  Monsieur  ! "  she  called  after  a  moment,  rising  and 
turning  to  the  door.  "  If  you  will  step  hither,  you  will 
find  an  old  friend." 


FKIENDS   ON   LE  TONNANT  217 

Presently  her  grandfather  came  into  the  cabin. 

"  What  !  Monsieur  le  Chevalier  !  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  Even  so,  my  lord,"  said  the  young  man. 

"  And  you,  Louise  ?  "  asked  the  old  man,  apropos  of 
nothing  apparently,  looking  keenly  at  his  grand- 
daughter. And  well  he  might,  for  such  radiant  beauty 
and  happiness  as  she  then  exhibited  he  had  never  before 
seen  upon  her  face. 

She  fairly  illumined  the  room  with  her  joy.  Her 
grandfather  had  read  such  signs  before  in  other 
women  and  easily  recognized  what  they  meant.  What 
wretched  fortune,  he  thought,  had  brought  this  per- 
sistent Irishman  upon  them  at  this  juncture  ?  Yet  in 
spite  of  himself  he  found  a  flickering  hope  rising  in  his 
breast  at  the  sight  of  the  man. 

Their  situation  had  daily  grown  more  desperate. 
Garron  apparently  had  not  ended  it  summarily  because 
he  was  greatly  enjoying  the  daily  torture  that  he  in- 
flicted upon  the  marquis,  although  he  would  have 
enjoyed  it  a  thousand  times  more  if  the  marquis  had 
given  him  any  outward  sign  of  his  inward  anguish. 

Garron  had  managed  affairs  nicely  indeed  from  his 
standpoint.  He  held  the  marquis  with  an  iron  hand, 
and  not  even  the  siege  of  Malta  and  the  considerable 
delay  there  of  the  squadron  afforded  the  latter  any 
respite.  Indeed,  Garron  had  concealed  from  every  one 
outside  his  ship  the  quality  of  his  prisoners,  and  in  the 
confusion  which  was  always  present  in  a  French  fleet, 
and  especially  in  that  one,  embarrassed  as  were  the 
authorities  by  the  overwhelming  details  of  the  vast 


218  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

expedition,  nobody  paid  any  particular  attention  to  him 
or  his  ship,  which  was  from  his  point  of  view  well,  from 
that  of  others,  exceeding  ill. 

Try  as  he  might,  the  old  man  could  not  think  of  any 
way  by  which  he  could  extricate  himself,  or  rather 
his  granddaughter,  —  for  he  cared  nothing  for  himself, 
—  from  her  awful  predicament.  The  appearance  of 
Macartney  —  helpless,  wounded,  though  he  was  —  put 
new  life  into  the  marquis'  veins.  Twice  in  imminent 
crises  the  Irishman  had  brought  salvation.  Like  most 
of  his  class,  the  marquis  was  something  of  a  fatalist. 
Perhaps,  through  Macartney,  salvation  had  come  again. 
If  so,  what  then  ? 

Such  constancy  of  devotion  as  the  young  man  main- 
tained and  exhibited  toward  what  was  after  all  scarcely 
more  than  an  ideal  pleased  the  marquis  greatly.  He  was 
not  too  old  to  remember  his  youth.  That  Macartney  had 
remained  faithful  during  the  past  five  years  to  the 
memory  of  a  woman  whom  he  had  seen  but  a  few  times 
appealed  to  the  old  man's  pride.  He  had  not  changed 
his  own  views  as  to  the  suitability  of  an  alliance  very 
greatly,  but  conditions  had  changed  about  him. 

He  felt  now  that  he  would  never  live  to  see  a  king 
of  the  ancient,  the  rightful,  line  upon  the  throne.  His 
dignities  and  properties  could  never  be  restored  to  him 
unless  he  were  willing  to  pay  a  price  from  which  he 
shrank  with  a  repugnance  that  could  never  be  over- 
come. The  price  was  an  allegiance  to,  and  acknowl- 
edgment of,  the  French  Republic  —  perhaps  not  even 
then  ! 


FRIENDS   ON  LE   TONNANT  219 

Would  it  not  be  better  to  allow  his  granddaughter 
to  consult  the  wishes  of  her  own  heart  and  marry  the 
man  she  loved,  even  though  he  were  a  foreigner,  than 
to  sacrifice  her  happiness  in  some  of  the  alliances  of 
more  seeming  advantage  which  had  been  proposed  to 
him  ?  Well,  that  was  in  the  future. 

Meanwhile  the  marquis  had  not  the  heart  to  interfere. 
He  did  not  realize  that  the  determination  of  events  had 
at  last  been  taken  out  of  his  hands  and  these  two  irre- 
sistibly came  together  as  the  rising  tide  embraces  the 
shore.  Not  old  age  with  its  authority,  nor  materialism 
with  its  calculation,  nor  the  shadowy  claims  of  ancient 
rights,  could  work  to  keep  them  apart. 

"Monsieur  Macartney,"  he  said  at  last,  "for  your 
sake  I  am  sorry  to  see  you  in  so  desperate  a  case.  For 
our  own,  I  am  glad  you  are  here.  You  have  been  our 
good  genius.  Perhaps  you  can  help  us  again." 

"  Are  you  in  trouble,  monsieur  ?  "  asked  Macartney. 

"  We  are  prisoners,  sir.  But  you  cannot  bear  this 
now.  To-morrow.  Then  you  must  grow  strong  to  help 
us  —  to  help  mademoiselle  yonder." 

"  Is  she  in  danger  ? "  cried  the  young  man,  half 
rising  from  the  bed.  "  If  so,  I  am  well." 

"  Not  yet,  not  now,"  said  the  marquis,  quickly,  while 
Louise  laid  a  restraining  hand  upon  her  lover's  shoulder. 
"  You  will  be  of  good  service  to  us,  to  her,  I  am  sure, 
monsieur,  so  soon  as  you  gain  your  strength.  But  that 
must  come  first.  You  will  hear  all  to-morrow.  Mean- 
time, I  believe  we  are  in  no  immediate  danger.  And 
perhaps  you  can  save  us.  You  have  done  so  twice  before." 


220  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  And  if  I  do,  my  lord,"  asked  Macartney,  eagerly, 
"  what  then  ?  What  reward  shall  I  have  ?  " 

"  Do  the  gentlemen  of  England,  Monsieur  le  Chevalier, 
serve  demoiselles  in  straits  for  a  reward  ?  "  asked  the 
marquis,  gravely. 

"No,  my  lord,"  returned  Macartney,  shamefacedly; 
"you  reprove  me  well,  sir.  I  will  do  it  for  love  of 
her  —  with  no  other  thought." 

"  Who  knows,"  said  the  admiral,  tapping  his  snuff- 
box and  looking  quizzically  .down  upon  the  wounded 
man,  "if  you  succeed,  in  love  you  may  find  reward 
after  all." 

The  Irishman  stared  at  Louise,  and  the  woman 
dropped  her  head  and  turned  away  under  his  beseech- 
ing glance.  He  could  see  nothing  but  the  color  that 
wavered  in  her  cheek.  The  admiral  smiled. 

"  Now  there  must  be  no  more  talk,"  he  said,  "  or  I 
shall  stay  with  you  myself." 

"  On  my  word,"  said  Macartney,  quickly,  "  I  will  be 
silent.  I  am  happy  just  to  look  at  mademoiselle." 

With  a  pleased  laugh  and  a  lighter  heart  than  he  had 
carried  for  weeks  the  vice-admiral  left  them  alone. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

PLAYING  AT  HIDE  AND   SEEK 

MEANWHILE,  driving  his  fleet,  considering  the  rela- 
tive quality  of  the  heavier,  slower  ships,  something  as 
Macartney  had  driven  the  Inconstant,  Nelson  was  hurry- 
ing down  the  Mediterranean  after  the  French.  He 
would  have  given  his  soul  for  the  frigates  which  had  run 
off  to  Gibraltar.  Of  necessity  he  was  compelled  to  keep 
his  battle  ships  in  a  somewhat  compact  formation.  If 
he  had  had  the  frigates  that  ill  luck  and  bad  judgment 
—  are  they  synonymous  ?  —  had  deprived  him  of,  those 
lighter  ships  would  have  been  placed  far  out  on  either 
side  of  the  fleet  so  as  to  spread  a  broad  clew  by  which  he 
could  sweep  the  seas  and  so  come  in  touch  with  the  enemy. 

On  the  22d  of  June  two  French  ships  were  seen  on 
the  horizon,  and  the  Leander,  which  was  far  to  starboard 
of  the  rest,  dimly  detected  the  outlines  of  a  French  bat- 
tle ship  off  Cape  Passaro.  Nelson,  however,  did  not 
learn  that  latter  fact  until  some  time  after.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  fact  the  French  armada  was  close  at  hand.  Not 
a  dozen  miles  intervened  between  the  two  fleets,  and 
the  booming  of  signal-guns  on  the  English  fleet  was  dis- 
tinctly heard  by  the  French.  The  night  was  dark  and 
rainy,  and  the  French  immediately  swung  to  the  north- 
ward and  by  rare  good  fortune  escaped  discovery. 

221 


222  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

What  Nelson's  fleet  would  have  done  if  let  loose  at 
sea  upon  that  vast  French  armada  can  scarcely  be 
imagined.  A  conflict  so  horrible  would  have  ensued, 
with  such  a  frightful  loss  of  life  among  the  frigates  and 
helpless  transports,  as  never  has  been  paralleled  on  the 
sea.  The  French  were  fortunately  spared  that  catas- 
trophe, for  Nelson  abandoned  any  further  search  of  the 
sea,  confident  in  his  conclusion  that  the  ships  must  have 
gone  to  Alexandria.  Therefore  he  repaired  to  that 
port  without  further  delay.  The  speed  of  a  compact 
fleet  of  battle  ships  was  necessarily  greater  than  that 
of  a  heterogeneous  number  of  vessels  of  different  kinds 
which  made  up  the  French  armament,  and  the  English 
were  soon  far  ahead. 

The  French  had  no  positive  information  that  Nelson 
was  on  their  track.  They  had  kept  away  from  the  sound 
of  the  guns  from  motives  of  prudence.  Macartney,  lying 
helpless  in  his  berth,  which  happened  to  be  upon  the 
windward  side  of  the  ship,  had  heard  the  distant  firing. 
He  had  noted  the  quick  change  of  course,  and  had  with 
a  seaman's  prescience  divined  that  Nelson  was  there. 

Oh,  how  he  had  prayed  to  be  once  more  on  the  deck 
of  the  Inconstant.  No  one  had  told  him  as  yet  that  the 
brave  little  vessel  which  had  been  so  interwoven  with 
his  career  had  sunk  beneath  the  sea.  He  would  have 
given  half  his  life  —  everything  but  his  hope  of  heaven 
and  his  claim  upon  Louise  de  Vaudemont  —  to  have 
been  able  to  run  across  the  track  of  his  admiral  with 
the  momentous  tidings  which  would  lift  such  a  load 
from  Nelson's  breast. 


PLAYING   AT   HIDE   AND   SEEK  223 

And  Nelson  wondered  and  wondered  what  had 
become  of  his  most  trusted  subordinate,  Macartney. 
He  reasoned  it  out  finally  that  the  Irishman  must  have 
been  captured  and  that  he  had  nothing  in  the  way  of 
tidings  to  expect  from  him,  else  he  would  have  heard 
long  since. 

On  the  29th  of  June  the  English  fleet  sighted  the 
coast  of  Egypt.  They  ran  along  the  shore  line  past 
Marabout  and  the  old  harbor,  past  the  promontory 
bearing  the  Pharos  of  Ptolemy  which  had  looked  upon 
the  ships  of  Antony  and  had  welcomed  the  flying 
flotilla  of  Cleopatra,  past  the  new  harbor,  and  then 
swept  into  the  Bay  of  Aboukir,  searching  the  low  sandy 
shore  with  the  same  intensity  as  the  first  fierce  glow  of 
the  tropic  sun  above  their  heads. 

Nothing  was  there,  no  sign  of  the  French.  Not  a 
ship,  not  a  vessel,  save  those  usually  trading  in  the 
harbor.  They  spoke  with  pilots  who  put  off  from  the 
shore  and  learned  that  no  news  of  any  prospective 
expedition  had  come  to  Egypt.  The  land  was  as  peace- 
ful as  if  no  enemy  lurked  below  the  horizon. 

Despair  seized  Nelson's  heart.  He  gave  way  to  one 
of  those  fits  of  depression  to  which  he  was  liable.  He 
had  made  a  mistake!  His  judgment  had  been  at  fault ! 
Egypt,  after  all,  was  not  the  destination  of  the  French 
fleet.  Where  in  Heaven's  name  could  they  have  gone  ? 

He  did  not  tarry,  he  scarcely  paused,  before  Alexan- 
dria, but  bore  up  for  the  Syrian  coast  in  a  sweep  around 
the  north  shore  of  the  Mediterranean.  He  was  like  a 
man  crazed  with  a  fever  in  his  wild  anxiety  to  find  the 


224  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

French.  If  he  had  only  waited,  confident  that  he  had 
fathomed  Bonaparte's  design. 

Scarcely  had  the  mastheads  of  his  liners  disappeared 
beneath  the  horizon  when  the  sails  of  the  van  ships  of 
the  French  armada  rose  upon  his  track. 

On  the  1st  of  July  the  French  dropped  anchor  off 
the  little  town  of  Marabout  some  five  miles  to  the  west- 
ward of  Alexandria.  By  the  shallowness  of  the  water 
they  were  forced  to  anchor  several  miles  from  the  shore. 
There  Bonaparte  learned  that  the  English  under  Ad- 
miral Nelson  had  beaten  him  to  the  harbor.  The  news 
was  frightfully  portentous.  Where  had  the  English 
gone  ?  Would  they  come  back  ?  Were  they  even  now 
heading  toward  him?  Fortune  had  favored  him.  Was 
it  about  to  desert  him  now? 

The  surf  was  breaking  heavily  upon  the  shore.  The 
wind  was  rising.  The  great  ships  tugged  uneasily  at 
their  anchors.  No  one  knew  the  value  of  time  better 
than  Bonaparte.  The  debarkation  of  the  army  under 
such  circumstances  would  be  perilous,  but  not  a  moment 
was  to  be  lost.  Any  hour  might  bring  the  English 
down  upon  him. 

"  Five  days,  give  me  five  days  1  "  prayed  the  little 
captain,  hastening  the  landing  of  the  troops  with  all 
his  fiery  energy. 

Fortune  still  smiled  upon  him,  his  lucky  star  was  in 
the  ascendant  then  as  it  had  been  heretofore  during  the 
cruise.  The  landing  was  effected  safely  without  moles- 
tation. Indeed  a  whole  month  elapsed  before  the  hated 
English  swooped  down  upon  the  French. 


PLAYING   AT   HIDE  AND   SEEK  225 

The  city  of  Alexandria  was  taken  by  assault,  the 
army  marched  to  Cairo,  the  battle  of  the  Pyramids 
was  fought,  the  mamelukes  were  defeated  and  broken, 
the  country  was  subdued,  and  the  first  step  of  that 
dream  of  conquest  which  would  fain  end  in  the 
Orient  was  completed. 

And  still  no  English  ships  whitened  the  horizon  with 
their  stained  and  weather-beaten  canvas. 

Where  was  Nelson  ? 


BOOK  IV 
EGYPT 


CHAPTER  XXII 
GAKRON'S  PROPOSITION 

UNDER  the  skilful  attention  of  the  French  surgeons, 
and  the  careful  nursing  of  Louise  de  Vaudemont  and 
her  foster-sister,  Macartney  rapidly  recovered  from  his 
wound.  When  Le  Tonnant  dropped  anchor  off  Mara- 
bout with  the  rest  of  the  ships,  he  was  able  to  be  upon 
deck  again. 

He  had  been  fully  advised  of  the  fearful  predicament 
in  which  fortune,  or  misfortune,  had  placed  the  marquis 
and  his  grandchildren.  As  yet  he  had  seen  no  way  to 
extricate  them.  One  thing  he  could  do.  He  swore  to 
himself  that,  rather  than  see  the  woman  he  loved  forced 
to  submit  to  the  demands  of  Garron,  he  would  kill  that 
worthy  with  his  naked  hands.  Ay,  even  though  a  thou- 
sand deaths  were  to  be  visited  upon  him  in  consequence. 

Macartney  racked  his  brains  for  some  other  scheme 
or  expedient  which  would  enable  him  to  circumvent 
the  designs  of  the  malicious  knave.  And  in  vain. 

Fortunately  for  all  of  them  matters  for  the  present 
continued  about  in  statu  quo.  For  one  reason  Garron, 
in  common  with  the  other  French  captains,  was  in- 
tensely busy  with  the  various  duties  concerned  with 
the  debarkation  of  the  army.  He  shirked  all  he  could, 
but  there  was  so  much  to  be  done  that  it  was  impossible 

229 


230  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

for  him  to  avoid  everything.  Affairs  were  in  such 
a  state  of  confusion  that  he  had  no  real  privacy  upon 
his  own  ship  as  yet.  Circumspection  was  in  order. 
After  matters  had  settled  down  somewhat  and  resumed 
their  normal  condition  he  would  have  leisure  to  prose- 
cute his  further  designs  without  observation  or  inter- 
ruption. 

Garron  took  just  enough  notice,  therefore,  of  the 
marquis  to  keep  that  gentleman  fully  convinced  that 
he  had  abated  no  jot  or  tittle  of  his  pretensions  toward 
the  comtesse.  He  had  not  sent  the  incriminating  papers 
to  Bonaparte.  He  had  not  informed  him  of  the  plan 
to  make  away  with  him.  He  kept  these  things  to 
himself.  It  amused  him  to  play  with  the  vice-admiral. 
The  vice-admiral  was  a  dangerous  man  to  play  with 
under  other  circumstances,  although  conditions  made 
him  practically  helpless  now. 

In  his  undertaking  to  make  the  life  of  the  old  man  a 
hell  on  earth,  Garron  made  one  fatal  mistake.  He  for- 
got that  he  was  also  playing  with  France,  and,  what  was 
more  dangerous,  playing  with  Bonaparte.  Woe  be 
unto  him  if  that  little  captain  should  ever  discover  his 
temporizing  and  his  hesitation  ! 

If  Garron  was  hated  by  his  crew,  he  was  despised 
by  Vice-admiral  Brueys  and  his  subordinates  and  his 
brother  captains  in  the  French  fleet.  Many  of  these, 
although  they  had  given  their  allegiance  to  the 
Republic,  were  brave  and  gallant  gentlemen.  Had 
it  not  been  for  Garron's  influence  —  wavering  but 
still  considerable  —  with  the  Directory,  Brueys  would 


GAKRON'S  PROPOSITION  231 

have  insisted  upon  his  detachment  from  the  ship,  the 
command  of  which  would  have  fallen  naturally  to 
Dupetit-Thouars.  Consequently,  after  the  transports 
and  smaller  war  vessels  had  found  shelter  in  the  harbor 
of  Alexandria  and  the  fleet  was  left  to  itself,  no  one, 
unless  moved  thereto  by  imperative  duty,  boarded  Le 
Tonnant. 

Bonaparte,  with  an  instinctive  knowledge  that  sooner 
or  later  the  indefatigable  Nelson  and  the  English  would 
be  upon  him,  had  ordered  Brueys  to  do  one  of  three 
things.  Either  come  into  the  well-defended  harbor  of 
Alexandria  and  moor  his  ships  under  the  cover  of  the 
French  batteries  ;  or  sail  for  the  Island  of  Corfu  and 
there  establish  himself  in  what  was  believed  to  be  an 
impregnable  position  ;  or  else  move  to  the  eastward 
into  the  Bay  of  Aboukir,  some  ten  miles  from  Alex- 
andria, and  there  station  his  ships  in  the  best  defensive 
position  possible. 

Brueys  found  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  get 
ships  of  such  size  as  those  he  commanded  into  the 
harbor  of  Alexandria ;  there  was  scarcely  enough 
provision  in  the  fleet  for  them  to  go  to  Corfu;  there- 
fore, he  contented  himself  by  partially  obeying  that 
last  direction,  which  promised  the  least  immunity  from 
danger !  He  moved  up  to  Aboukir  Bay  and  dropped 
anchor.  Bonaparte,  meanwhile,  had  left  the  coast  and 
was  busy  with  his  campaigning  and  administering 
affairs  in  the  interior. 

Garron  had  taken  but  little  notice  of  Macartney, 
heretofore.  The  Irishman  had  been  astute  enough 


232  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

not  to  allow  the  slightest  suspicion  of  his  intimacy 
with  the  de  Vaudemonts  to  become  apparent ;  Garron 
did  not  dream  that  his  captive  was  also  in  love  with 
the  woman  he  had  deigned  to  cast  his  eye  upon. 

The  outward  intercourse  between  the  prisoners  was 
of  the  most  formal  and  indifferent  kind.  Indeed,  it 
was  more  or  less  formal  when  they  were  all  indulging 
in  the  privacy  of  the  captain's  cabin,  which  had  been 
set  apart  for  their  use  ;  for  the  marquis  had  relented 
of  his  half-intended  design  to  permit  matters  to  pro- 
ceed to  a  climax,  and  he  interposed  his  presence  most 
effectively  as  a  barrier  to  further  love-making.  It  was 
too  bad  to  have  waited  all  these  years,  to  have  been 
thrown  most  unexpectedly  in  the  society  of  the  woman 
he  loved,  in  the  narrow  confines  of  the  ship,  and  then  to 
have  the  course  of  his  love-making  interrupted  by  the 
cool  dexterity  of  this  dapper  old  man,  who  insisted 
upon  bestowing  his  presence  upon  him. 

Macartney  was  filled  with  disgust  and  indignation. 
But  he  had  learned  something  during  the  last  few 
years,  and  instead  of  blazing  out  as  he  would  once  have 
done,  and  thereby  creating  a  hopeless  breach  between 
himself  and  the  marquis,  he  dissembled  his  feelings  as 
much  as  possible  —  from  the  old  man,  that  is  —  while 
he  took  advantage  of  every  opportunity  to  exhibit  them 
to  Louise. 

As  for  that  young  woman,  the  situation  was  at  once 
delightful  and  miserable.  She  revelled  in  happiness 
when  she  permitted  herself  to  listen  to  Macartney,  yet 
she  was  very  miserable  when  she  thought  of  the  hope- 


GARRON'S  PROPOSITION  233 

lessness  of  their  passion.  Her  grandfather,  it  was  evi- 
dent, would  never  consent  to  a  union  between  them. 
She  clung  fondly  to  the  idea  that  she  had  dedicated 
herself  to  France,  although  her  purpose  became  more 
and  more  feeble.  Consequently  her  treatment  of  her 
lover  was  as  variable  as  the  weather.  Sometimes  she 
smiled  upon  him ;  sometimes  she  listened  to  him  ; 
sometimes  she  met  his  schemes  to  be  alone  with  her 
with  a  frankness,  a  tenderness,  and  a  dexterity  as  well, 
that  lifted  him  to  the  seventh  heaven.  At  other  times 
she  beamed  upon  him  from  afar  in  a  way  which  elated 
while  it  baffled  him.  At  intervals  she  was  as  cold  as 
ice  to  him,  nay,  colder  than  her  grandfather,  who  was 
always  considerate  and  kind.  She  was  as  elusive,  as 
variable,  as  changeable,  as  the  pointing  weather  vane  at 
the  masthead. 

Macartney  had  loved  her  in  his  absence  with  one  of 
those  rare  passions  which  turned  native  fickleness  into 
absolute  fidelity ;  he  had  loved  her  while  he  could  only 
dream  of  her ;  but  when  he  was  constantly  in  her 
presence,  when  she  stood  before  him  as  the  realization 
of  his  visions  —  well,  the  feelings  he  had  felt  for  her 
before  were  not  to  be  mentioned  with  the  emotions  he 
experienced  now. 

That  the  ineffable  Garron  should  aspire  to  her  for  an 
instant  was  an  insult.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  Ma- 
cartney could  keep  his  hands  off  that  man.  There  was 
a  profanation  to  the  woman  he  loved  in  the  ve'ry  glance 
that  he  cast  upon  her,  in  the  laugh  with  which  he 
greeted  her  when  she  passed  him  on  the  quarter-deck — 


234  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

the  laugh  of  a  master  at  the  sight  of  a  slave.  Only 
Louise  never  cowered  before  Garron,  and  the  ruffian 
was  secretly  afraid  of  her. 

There  were  daily  interviews  between  Garron  and  the 
vice-admiral  in  the  cabin  after  the  fleet  had  anchored 
at  Aboukir.  The  vice-admiral  never  told  the  details  of 
these  conversations.  He  would  come  out  of  the  cabin 
with  as  jaunty  a  step,  as  composed  a  mien,  as  he  had  when 
he  had  entered  it.  It  was  not  until  he  was  safe  in  his 
own  cabin  that  he  gave  way  to  fits  of  terrible  if  impo- 
tent rage  which  left  him  shaken  to  the  core. 

Once  his  granddaughter  had  surprised  him  in  the 
midst  of  a  paroxysm  of  fury,  and  the  sight  had  been 
appalling  to  her.  She  had  instantly  withdrawn  from 
his  presence  —  fortunately  he  had  not  observed  her 
entrance.  In  her  agitation  she  had  told  Macartney 
what  she  had  seen.  The  two  had  been  able  to  under- 
stand something  of  the  baiting  of  Garron.  Indeed,  the 
man  took  a  fiendish  delight  in  torturing  the  old  mar- 
quis. It  was  a  question  which  he  enjoyed  the  more,  the 
agony  of  the  marquis  or  the  prospective  possession  of 
the  comtesse. 

The  proud  old  noble  would  have  died  a  thousand 
times  rather  than  submit  to  such  treatment  for  a  mo- 
ment ;  he  would  have  starved  himself  to  death,  opened 
his  veins  with  his  teeth,  had  he  been  alone — but  there 
was  his  granddaughter,  there  was  his  grandson,  there 
was  France.  He  had  to  live  and  suffer.  Again  and 
again  he  would  have  leaped  upon  Garron,  and  in  the 
fury  of  his  passion,  great  hulking  brute  though  his 


GARRON'S  PROPOSITION  235 

tormentor  was,  have  torn  him  to  pieces  with  his  old 
and  feeble  hands.  But  he  never  saw  Garron  alone. 
Always  with  him  was  the  silent  Brebceuf. 

Breboeuf  stood  high  in  the  favor  of  his  captain,  for  he 
never  talked  to  any  one.  The  captain  even  had  a  pallet 
spread  for  him  at  his  cabin  door,  and  he  was  the  most 
trusted  man  of  his  crew.  Pistol  in  hand  he  stood  back 
of  his  new  master  with  immobile  countenance,  marking 
the  humiliation  of  the  marquis. 

Toward  the  latter  part  of  July,  Macartney  being 
completely  recovered,  Garron  sent  for  him  to  come  to 
his  cabin.  Greatly  surprised,  the  Irishman  presented 
himself  before  his  captor,  who  was  attended  as  usual  by 
his  watchful  guard. 

"  Citizen  Mac  —  " 

"  Pardon,"  interrupted  Macartney,  coolly,  "  I  am  no 
citizen  of  France.  Your  customs  do  not  interest  me. 
You  will  therefore  call  me  captain,  or,  to  be  more  exact, 
commodore,  which  is  my  rank  in  the  English  navy." 

"  Very  well,  Monsieur  le  Chef  d'Escadre,"  said  Gar- 
ron, smiling  in  a  way  that  he  meant  to  be  ingratiating, 
"  as  you  please.  I  am  beginning  to  take  less  interest 
in  the  present  customs  of  France,  monsieur,  than  I 
formerly  did.  I  speak  to  you  in  strictest  confidence, 
of  course  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  wish  for  your  confidences,  Monsieur  Gar- 
ron," said  Macartney,  quickly. 

"  No  ?  Perhaps  you  will,  however,  when  I  tell  you 
that  they  intimately  concern  the  English  ?  " 

He   looked   meaningly  at   Macartney  as   he   spoke. 


236  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

Instantly  there  flashed  into  the  Irishman's  mind  that 
Garron  was  not  stanch  in  his  devotion  to  the  cause 
to  which  he  had  engaged  himself.  If  through  him 
he  might  secure  his  freedom  and  a  chance  to  assist  the 
de  Vaudemonts  !  If  he  could  get  to  Nelson  !  Where 
had  that  admiral  gone,  anyway?  He  seemed  to  have 
dropped  out  of  the  map  as  completely  as  the  French 
had  dropped  in.  Macartney  came  a  step  nearer  Garron, 
and  leaning  his  hand  upon  the  table  he  bent  closer  to 
him. 

"  You  were  speaking  about  the  English  ?  " 

"  Yes.     About  Admiral  Nelson  and  his  ships." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  Have  I  your  word  never  to  breathe  what  I  am  about 
to  tell  you  to  a  living  soul  without  my  permission  ?  " 

"  You  forget,"  said  Macartney,  pointing  to  Brebceuf, 
"that  we  are  not  alone." 

"  I  forget  nothing.  This  man  is  deaf,  dumb,  and 
blind  in  my  service.  You  will  give  me  your  word, 
monsieur  ?  " 

"  I  will.     What  is  it  you  would  say  ?  " 

"  Captain  Macartney,"  said  Garron,  sinking  his  voice 
to  a  whisper,  "  many  of  us  are  not  satisfied  with  affairs 
in  France." 

"  You  would  bring  back  the  King  ? "  whispered 
Macartney. 

"  As  to  that,  later.  This  General  Bonaparte  has 
virtually  made  himself  King  of  France.  The  Republic, 
sir,  is  in  danger.  Should  he  succeed  in  this  expedition, 
he  would  be  the  Dictator  of  my  beloved  country.  The 


GARRON'S  PROPOSITION  237 

principles  for  which  we  patriots  have  fought,  which 
we  have  established  at  so  great  an  expenditure  of  blood 
and  treasure,  are  in  danger  of  being  subverted,  mon- 
sieur. The  Rep — " 

"  Oh,  damn  the  Republic  !  "  said  Macartney,  impa- 
tiently. He  was  not  much  of  a  diplomatist,  evidently. 
"  What  are  you  driving  at  ?  " 

"  Damn  it  if  you  will,  monsieur,"  said  Garron,  quietly, 
shrugging  his  shoulders.  "  Indeed,  I  think  'tis  damned 
already.  Bonaparte  will  be  its  master.  As  between 
Bonaparte  and  —  "  He  hesitated. 

"  And  the  King  ?  " 

"  As  a  patriot,  monsieur,  loving  his  country,  who 
would  not  see  her  dragged  in  the  train  of  this  Corsican 
adventurer,  I  —  in  short,  monsieur,  you  have  hit  it 
exactly." 

"  What  do  you'propose  ?  " 

"  I  propose  to  let  you  go  free  ;  to  furnish  you  with 
means  to  find  Admiral  Nelson  and  the  English  ships  ; 
to  take  Le  Tonnant  out  of  the  line  of  battle  when  they 
fall  upon  us  ;  and  surrender  her  to  you ;  to  use  my 
influence  to  see  that  the  fleet  stays  here  in  Aboukir  in 
about  the  worst  position  possible  for  defence,  and  en- 
tirely unprepared  as  it  is  now." 

"  What  do  you  want  for  this  ?  " 

"  Monsieur,  believe  me,  I  serve  my  country  for  love 
alone." 

"  Yes,  I  know.     I  understand  all  that,  but — " 

"  Since  you  insist  upon  it,"  returned  Garron,  "  I 
should  like,  first  of  all,  a  free  pardon  for  anything  of 


238  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

which  I  may  be  —  ah  —  unjustly  accused,  a  patent  of 
nobility,  and  a  pension  of  ten  thousand  francs  a  year." 

"  I  have  no  power,"  said  Macartney,  "  to  pledge  any- 
thing for  the  King  of  France." 

"  No,  monsieur,  doubtless  not ;  but  do  you  think  the 
King  of  France  would  refuse  any  request  that  you 
might  make  of  him  if  you  brought  about  the  downfall 
of  this  General  Bonaparte  and  his  own  restoration  ?  " 

"  Probably  not,"  said  the  Irishman. 

"  That  isn't  all  I  can  do,"  said  Garron.  "  There  is  a 
plan  on  foot  to  abduct  Bonaparte.  A  grandson  of  the 
man  Vaudemont,  one  of  your  fellow-prisoners,  is  the 
head  and  front  of  the  conspiracy.  Those  concerned  in 
it  are  desperate  men,  and  I  have  no  doubt  it  will  be 
brought  about  in  the  near  future.  I  can  prevent  the 
success  of  that  plot." 

"  How  ?  "  asked  Macartney,  curiously,  who  knew  the 
facts  very  well  but  wanted  to  hear  what  Garron  had  to 
say  for  himself. 

"  By  sending  Bonaparte  a  certain  paper."  He  care- 
lessly lifted  a  document  from  the  table  before  him  as  he 
spoke.  "  I  found  a  certain  incriminating  account 
in  the  baggage  of  the  man  Vaudemont.  If  we  enter 
upon  this  undertaking,  I  shall  not  send  the  paper." 

"  Will  you  also  release  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont 
and  his  granddaughter  ?  " 

"  Not  for  all  the  Kings  of  France  I  " 

"  If  harm  should  come  to  them,  it  would  go  hard  with 
you  after  the  restoration." 

"  No  one  could  blame  me,  Monsieur  Macartney,  if  the 


GARRON'S  PROPOSITION  239 

marquis  should  die,  let  us  say,  of  the  Egyptian  fever  in 
spite  of  all  my  care  and  attention  on  this  ship." 

"  But  his  granddaughter  ?  " 

"The  natural  grief  of  so  devoted  a  maiden  would 
account  for  her  taking  off  in  spite  of  all  my  efforts  to 
console  her." 

"  My  God  !  "  exclaimed  Macartney,  starting  forward. 
Then  he  restrained  himself.  "Would  you  murder 
them  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  They  have  an  easy  way  to  purchase  life  and 
liberty." 

"What  is  that?" 

"Let  the  woman  become  the  wife  of  Jean  Garron 
and  the  old  man  may  go  free.  I  should  value  a 
father-in-law  such  as  he  in  the  court  of  his  Majesty, 
King  Louis  XVII." 

"  I  won't  do  it !  "  cried  Macartney. 

"  Think,  monsieur,"  said  Garron.  "  You  go  free ! 
You  serve  your  country  and  serve  the  King  of 
France.  You  bring  Admiral  Nelson's  fleet  upon  us  in- 
stantly. You  suffer  no  risk.  I  have  an  order  here  signed 
by  Admiral  Brueys  for  a  boat  to  leave  the  fleet  to  go  to 
Alexandria.  The  boat,  which  I  shall  bring  from  the 
shore,  is  manned  by  Arabs  ;  her  captain  is  paid  by  me 
and  in  my  service.  They  will  go  where  I  —  we  —  you, 
as  my  representative,  direct.  You  can  take  that  boat 
and  put  to  sea.  Why  should  you  refuse  ?  " 

Nelson  would  give  his  soul  almost  for  the  news  that 
Macartney  could  give  him.  As  to  the  rest  of  Garron's 
offer  to  dispose  of  Le  Tonnant,  that  was  not  a  matter 


240  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

of  great  importance.  All  Nelson  wanted  was  knowl- 
edge. From  what  Macartney  had  seen  of  the  French 
fleet  he  was  convinced  that  Nelson  could  attend  to  it 
without  the  slightest  difficulty.  It  certainly  was  his 
imperative  duty  to  avail  himself  of  Garron's  proposi- 
tion. He  felt  that  certain  sick  feeling  of  loathing  and 
repulsion  when  he  looked  at  the  captain  and  recalled 
what  he  said,  that  feeling  that  any  honorable  man  ex- 
periences when  brought  in  contact  with  a  traitor,  or  a 
snake.  Yet  his  own  course  was  clear.  He  must  go! 

But  how  could  he  avail  himself  of  the  offer  and  leave 
Louise  de  Vaudemont  to  the  mercy  of  the  brute  before 
him?  It  might  be  weeks  before  he  could  find  Nelson 
and  bring  him  upon  the  French  fleet.  A  day  would 
suffice  to  ruin  forever  the  helpless  young  woman.  In 
a  moment  Garron  would  take  the  life  of  the  old  man. 
These  two  depended  upon  him.  They  had  no  one  else 
to  look  to.  He  could  not  desert  them  ! 

His  duty  drove  him  to  accept  Garron's  proposition. 
His  affections  held  him  irrevocably  to  the  ship.  The 
two,  as  ever,  were  irreconcilable.  He  hesitated,  but  be- 
ing a  man  he  was  not  thereby  lost.  There  was  only  one 
decision  to  which  he  could  possibly  come.  Sooner  or 
later  he  must  go.  With  a  man  it  is  always  the  woman 
who  must  give  way.  With  a  woman  it  is  different. 
Who  shall  say  which  is  the  better  way  ? 

As  yet  Garron  had  not  the  slightest  suspicion  as  to 
why  the  man  before  him  hesitated.  The  Frenchman 
did  not  dream  of  his  prisoner's  passion  for  Louise  de 
Vaudemont.  He  wondered,  therefore,  why  he  did  not 


GARRON'S  PROPOSITION  241 

accept  his  offer  at  once.  Macartney  was  utterly  un- 
able to  announce  the  inevitable  decision.  The  sweat 
beaded  upon  his  forehead  at  the  mental  struggle 
through  which  he  passed. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I  must  have  time.  I 
must  think  over  this  matter.  Give  me  a  day  !  " 

Like  many  another  man  in  similar  circumstances, 
he  begged  for  delay.  Each  hour  made  the  decision 
harder,  yet  he  temporized.  He  would  go,  he  must  go  ! 
But  not  yet,  not  yet  ! 

"  Time  is  very  precious,  Monsieur  le  Capitaine," 
said  the  Frenchman,  persuasively. 

"  A  few  hours,  then  ?  Until  this  evening  ?  I  could 
not  get  away  in  any  event  until  nightfall." 

"Very  well,  monsieur.  You  shall  have  until  this 
evening,"  said  Garron.  "  Why  you  hesitate  I  know 
not,  but  you  English  were  ever  incomprehensible.  I 
have  your  word  of  honor  that  you  will  say  nothing 
about  this  —  nothing  to  any  one  ?  " 

"  You  have,"  said  Macartney,  turning  abruptly  upon 
his  heel  and  leaving  the  cabin. 

He  had  given  his  word  before,  and  there  was  noth- 
ing for  him  to  do  but  repeat  it  now.  Yet  he  would 
have  given  everything  if  he  had  not  pledged  himself 
to  secrecy. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  REJECTION   OF   THE   COMTESSE 

MACARTNEY  was  literally  in  a  desperate  situation, 
and  the  most  terrible  part  of  it  was  that  he  could  see 
absolutely  no  way,  first  of  all  to  help  the  woman  he 
loved,  and  second,  to  avoid  accepting  Garron's  propo- 
sition. Nelson  had  trusted  him  to  find  the  French 
fleet.  He  had  found  it  and  had  been  taken  prisoner  in 
the  endeavor.  The  treachery  of  one  of  the  French 
commanders  opened  a  way  for  his  escape.  Nelson  was 
groping  around  in  the  Mediterranean  for  that  fleet. 
The  chances  were  that  if  Macartney  got  away  from 
Alexandria  he  could  get  word  to  the  admiral  in  some 
way. 

To  get  that  word  to  Nelson  was  vital  to  the  future 
of  England.  Unless  that  French  fleet  were  destroyed, 
it  was  evident  that  Bonaparte  would  overrun  the  East. 
England  would  be  struck  in  her  most  vulnerable  point. 
Englishmen  everywhere  viewed  with  growing  alarm 
the  rising  power  of  Bonaparte.  A  grapple  to  the  death 
between  England  and  the  little  Corsican  had  already 
been  precipitated.  Success  was  indispensable  to  Eng- 
land in  that  great  struggle  which  began  with  the  Nile, 
continued  through  Trafalgar,  and  ended  at  Waterloo. 
It  was  absolutely  impossible  and  unthinkable  that 

242 


THE   REJECTION   OF  THE   COMTESSE  243 

Macartney  should  refrain  from  availing  himself  of  this 
opportunity  to  serve  his  country.  Every  consideration 
of  duty  and  honor  demanded  that  he  accept  Garrou's 
proposition  immediately.  He  must  meet  the  demand. 
His  decision  was  as  inevitable  as  death — and  as  terrible! 

However,  the  delay  of  a  few  hours,  or  until  nightfall, 
was  not  especially  material,  since  he  could  not  get  away 
from  the  French  fleet  until  darkness  hid  him.  Some- 
thing might  happen  in  that  time,  he  prayed.  Yet  he 
felt  that  nothing  could  happen.  Go  he  must,  and  leave 
Louise  he  must.  It  was  crushing. 

A  few  years  before  Macartney  might  have  hesitated 
as  to  his  course,  but  the  refining  influence  of  a  great 
passion  had  been  upon  him  since  he  had  met  Louise  de 
Vaudemont.  He  had  been  uplifted,  ennobled,  by  his 
love  for  her.  He  saw  things  more  clearly.  Love  blinds, 
but  it  also  enlightens.  He  was  a  much  finer  man  since 
he  had  dreamed  dreams  with  the  comtesse  as  the  centre 
of  his  visions.  His  love  would  have  been  base,  ignoble, 
like  to  that  of  Garron,  unless  it  had  had  these  uplifting 
qualities. 

He  knew  and  realized,  instantly  Garron's  proposition 
was  made  to  him,  that  he  must  accept  it.  Whatever 
be  the  prospective  fate  of  any  individual,  however  dear 
that  individual  might  be,  the  claims  of  duty  were  para- 
mount. She  had  been  for  France;  he  must  be  for  Eng- 
land. Yet  to  leave  her  to  Garron's  passion  I  It  killed 
him. 

He  knew  that  no  constraint  could  ever  enforce  the 
noble  soul  tabernacled  in  Louise  de  Vaudemont's 


244  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

beautiful  person — that  she  would  die  rather  than  yield 
to  Garron.  Like  Portia  she  could  swallow  coals  of  fire; 
like  Arria  drive  a  dagger  into  her  heart ;  like  Seneca 
open  her  veins,  if  need  be,  rather  than  submit  to  that 
monster  into  whose  hands  evil  fortune  had  put  the 
threads  of  her  life. 

Yet,  even  so,  by  leaving  her  he  was  literally  con- 
demning her  to  death.  Her  blood  would  be  upon  the 
hands  of  Garron,  but  would  it  not  also  be  upon  his  own? 
How  could  he  do  it?  O  God!  He  never  loved  her  as 
at  that  moment! 

If  he  could  only  tell  her !  If  he  could  only  give  her 
a  hint,  indicate  in  the  faintest  way  the  feelings  that 
tore  his  being,  the  reasons  that  actuated  him.  But  he 
was  bound;  he  had  given  his  word  of  honor — the  honor 
of  a  sailor  and  of  a  gentleman.  He  could  not  even  say 
to  her  that  he  was  going  —  much  less  tell  her  why  and 
where. 

In  honor  bound?  "Pis  true  his  word  was  given,  his 
faith  pledged,  to  one  of  the  basest  of  mortals,  —  a  man 
who  from  his  own  confession  knew  not  the  meaning  of 
fidelity,  a  man  who  mocked  at  honor,  a  man  who 
had  entered  into  communication  with  him  for  the 
sole  and  only  purpose  of  betraying  his  country,  his 
commander,  his  comrades,  his  friends ;  a  scoundrel,  a 
common,  low,  vulgar,  brutal  ruffian,  clothed  with  a  little 
authority  which  he  abused  as  men  of  his  caliber  always 
do  under  similar  circumstances. 

In  honor  bound  ?  Why  should  Macartney  respect  a 
tie  of  which  Garron  thought  nothing  ?  Why,  in  dealing 


THE  REJECTION   OF   THE   COMTESSE  245 

with  a  traitor,  should  an  upright  man  be  bound  by 
honor  while  the  other  party  was  moved  by  nothing  but 
base  self-interest  ?  Could  it  be  shown  for  a  moment  to 
Garron's  satisfaction  that  his  interest  lay  in  betraying 
Macartney  and  the  English,  Macartney  knew  that  there 
would  be  no  hesitation  as  to  the  Frenchman's  course. 

Still  he  was  bound  to  this  man,  fettered  by  the 
demands  of  honor,  coerced  by  his  integrity,  pledged  by 
his  manhood.  Garron  trusted  Macartney,  and  well  he 
might. 

And  so  the  man  who  loved  Louise  de  Vaudemont 
could  say  no  word  to  her,  not  even  of  warning.  The 
marquis  was  old.  He  maintained  a  bold  front  toward 
the  man  he  hated,  but  even  he  did  not  realize  how  he 
was  depending  upon  and  trusting  to  Macartney.  In 
the  most  desperate  strait  in  which  a  man  may  find  him- 
self, threatened  with  the  loss  of  everything,  the  old 
man  had  turned  to  the  young  man  as  to  a  saviour. 
Macartney  knew  he  must  go  and  leave  them  to  their 
fate  without  a  word,  a  sign.  God!  he  could  not  do  it! 
What  was  England?  What  was  duty?  What  was 
honor,  that  such  sacrifices  should  be  exacted  from  him? 
A  word,  an  ideal  —  abstractions!  He  would  not  go! 

As  he  stood  on  the  quarter-deck  alone,  staring  out 
over  the  waste  of  sand  on  the  desert  shore  tremulous 
in  the  heat  of  the  late  afternoon,  there  rose  before  him 
two  visions.  They  ranged  themselves  on  either  side  of 
him.  One  shaped  itself  into  the  beautiful  features 
and  noble  figure  of  the  woman  he  loved.  That  base- 
less fabric  of  a  vision  represented  to  him  that  which  he 


246  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

most  desired;  that  for  which  pledges  have  been  for- 
feited, duties  neglected,  honor  destroyed;  that  for 
which  lands  have  been  laid  desolate,  kingdoms  have 
been  won  and  lost,  since  time  and  the  world  began  — 
the  love  of  woman  !  On  the  other  hand  there  stood  by 
him  a  pale,  sallow,  slender,  appealing  figure,  with  mel- 
ancholy eyes  looking  at  him  from  under  a  broad  brow 
topped  with  a  shock  of  dark  hair  —  Nelson;  and  the 
pouting  lips  and  pointing  finger  said,  "  Duty !  — 
England  expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty  ! " 

He  buried  his  face  in  his  hands  to  shut  out  the 
wraiths,  and  the  voice  of  the  woman  he  loved  broke 
upon  his  ear. 

"  You  are  sad,  monsieur.  You  look  across  the  sands 
and  dream  of  home,  perhaps  ?  " 

"  Not  of  home,"  answered  the  man,  hoarsely. 

He  turned  and  looked  at  her.  She  shrank  back  in 
surprise  at  what  she  saw.  The  turmoil  in  his  soul  had 
left  its  imprint  upon  his  face.  But  at  the  sight  of  her 
there,  in  flesh  and  blood,  close  by  him,  another  look 
leaped  in  his  eyes,  one  more  familiar,  mingled  with 
the  despair,  one  she  knew  and  loved.  Ah,  well  the 
woman  realized  of  whom  he  had  been  dreaming  then. 
But  what  had  caused  him  such  unwonted  agitation? 
He  had  been  so  cheerful,  so  lighthearted,  so  debonair, 
so  hopeful !  Now  she  saw  him  crushed,  broken.  He 
had  just  come  from  Garron,  she  had  learned.  What 
had  happened? 

"  Monsieur,"  she  said  quickly,  "  you  look  —  what  is 
the  matter  ?  Does  some  danger  threaten  you  ?  " 


THE  KEJECTION   OF   THE   COMTESSE  247 

"  None.     Would  to  God  it  did  !  " 

"  Why  then  do  you  —  is  there  some  new  peril  for  — 
my  grandfather  —  or  —  myself  ?  " 

"  Was  not  the  old  enough  ?  " 

"  Monsieur,"  she  said,  laying  her  hand  timidly  upon 
his  arm.  Where  he  stood  he  screened  her  from  obser- 
vation, had  there  been  any  curious  in  the  fore  part  of 
the  ship.  "  Monsieur,  you  believe  that  —  I  —  I  —  am 
your  friend  ? "  she  faltered.  "  Tell  me  what  has 
altered  you  ?  " 

"Mademoiselle,  will  you  answer  me  as  you  might 
answer  a  man  facing  death  ?  " 

"  Death,  monsieur !  " 

"Death  to  hope,  death  to  the  heart,  mademoiselle, 
nothing  more." 

"Speak  on." 

"  Will  you  put  aside  for  the  moment  —  what  shall  I 
say  ?  —  the  reluctance  you  have  manifested  to  listen  to 
me?" 

"I  will  listen." 

"  And  will  you  answer  ?  " 

There  was  something  so  direct,  so  compelling,  in  his 
gaze,  that  in  spite  of  herself  Louise  could  not  deny  him. 
Not  trusting  herself  to  speak,  she  gently  inclined  her 
head. 

"  I  love  you.  It's  an  old  tale  told  many  times  in 
your  ear.  I  ask  you  now,  do  you  believe  that  ?  " 

There  was  a  sob  in  the  girl's  throat. 

"I  —  yes,  I  believe,"  she  murmured. 

"  Do  you  believe  that  I  love  you  more  than  every- 


248  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

thing  that  men  hold  dear  —  that  you  are  the  very 
light  of  heaven  to  me  ?  To  lose  you,  to  part  from  you, 
tears  the  soul  out  of  me  !  You  have  told  me  many 
times,  and  I  have  resented  the  telling,  that  you  were 
for  France.  I  understand  what  you  meant  now.  You 
were  not  for  me.  There  was  a  higher  claim,  a  more 
powerful  appeal.  It  broke  my  heart  to  hear  you  say 
that  —  Louise." 

The  quick  twilight  of  the  Orient  was  already  upon 
them.  In  the  dusk  the  girl's  face  gleamed  before  him. 
The  half  darkness  gave  her  courage. 

"Monsieur,"  she  whispered,  "you  love  me?  Yes,  I 
know  it.  Perhaps  I  was  wrong  before  —  maybe  God 
intended  —  " 

She  stopped.  He  was  looking  at  her  with  eyes  that 
burned,  his  glance  plunged  into  her  very  heart  like  a 
sword  blade.  Yet  the  wound  they  made  was  sweet  to 
feel.  She  neither  faltered  nor  turned  away  as  she  spoke 
further  to  him. 

"I  am  —  for  you  —  if  —  if  you  will  have  me.  May 
not  one  —  love  and  be  for  France  ?  " 

It  had  come,  then.  The  reward  for  which  he  had 
prayed  and  longed.  The  woman  whom  he  loved,  loved 
him  !  She  had  avowed  it  there  in  the  twilight.  He 
had  but  to  wait  for  darkness  to  take  her  in  his  arms. 
This  blessed  end  of  all  his  dreams,  this  happy  realiza- 
tion of  all  his  hopes,  was  at  hand  !  And  he  could  not 
accept  it !  Love  held  the  brimming  cup  of  joy  to  his 
lips  and  ruthlessly  dashed  it  down  ere  he  could  quaff 
the  draught.  Inexorable  Fate  had  removed  her  as  far 


THE   REJECTION   OF  THE   COMTESSE  249 

from  him  as  the  great  star  which  shone  in  the  clear  gray 
of  the  evening  sky  above  his  head. 

"  Louise,"  he  said  to  her,  taking  both  her  hands  in  his 
own,  "  the  words  you  have  said  would  have  made  me 
mad  with  joy  —  " 

"  What !  "  cried  the  woman. 

"But  now  —  oh,  God  I  that  I  had  died  before  this 
had  come  upon  me  !  " 

"Monsieur,  I  have  offered  you  myself,  a  demoiselle 
of  France,  the  Comtesse  de  Vaudemont —  You  hesi- 
tate?" 

Macartney  could  not  speak.  He  only  bowed  his  head 
dumbly  before  her. 

"Monsieur  —  " 

"  Wait !  Whatever  you  do,  whatever  you  may  think 
of  me,  however  you  may  consider  me,  as  you  think  on 
this  interview  in  after  life  —  and  I  am  sure  you  will 
never  forget  it  —  believe  only  one  thing,  that  I  love 
you,  that  I  would  die  for  you  —  but  —  " 

"  You  have  refused  me.  The  shame !  I  shall  re- 
member only  that !  " 

She  turned  and  left  him,  and  stepping  aft  found  her- 
self face  to  face  with  Garron,  who  had  just  come  out  of 
the  companionway.  His  eyes  were  filled  with  jealous 
hatred.  He  had  heard  enough,  tiptoeing  near  like  a 
thief  in  the  night,  to  comprehend  Macartney's  interest 
in  the  de  Vaudemonts. 

"  Come  with  me,"  he  said  softly.  "  Don't  shrink,  no 
harm  is  meant.  I  want  to  tell  you  something." 

Dazed  and  bewildered,  overwhelmed  with  the  shock 


250  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

she  had  sustained,  scarcely  realizing  the  situation, 
Louise  found  herself  in  the  cabin  in  the  presence  of 
the  captain.  By  his  side  was  the  silent  Breboeuf .  The 
marquis  emerged  from  his  berth  as  the  two  entered. 
Garron  paid  no  attention  to  him. 

"  Woman,"  he  said  roughly,  levelling  his  blunt  finger 
at  the  girl,  "  you  love  that  man  !  " 

"How  dare  —  " 

"  Nonsense  !  "  cried  the  man,  furiously.  "  I  was 
there.  I  heard  !  That  which  I  sought,  you  offered  to 
him." 

"  Oh,  God  !  "  whispered  the  marquis  softly  under  his 
breath,  "  for  a  weapon  !  " 

"He  refused  —  " 

The  woman  stood  before  him  with  a  body  like  ice,  a 
heart  aflame.  If  glances  could  have  slain,  she  had 
killed  him  a  thousand  times.  His  words  brought  back  to 
her  the  shame  of  her  position  —  that  he,  the  base-born, 
brutal  Garron,  should  know  !  Her  anger  was  equally 
divided  between  him  and  Macartney. 

"  Refused  you,  Louise  !  Captain  Macartney  ?  What 
does  the  man  mean  ?  "  cried  the  marquis,  coming  for- 
ward swiftly. 

"  Silence,  Vaudemont !  One  does  not  address  you. 
Do  you  want  to  know  why  he  would  have  none  of 
you  ? "  Garron  asked,  again  turning  to  the  woman. 
"Well,  I'll  tell  you.  We  had  a  talk  in  the  cabin 
this  afternoon.  He  wants  to  escape.  I  found  out 
that  he  loved  you  and  that  you  love  him.  I  offered 
to  let  him  go  to-night  if  he  would  resign  you  to  me." 


THE   REJECTION   OF   THE   COMTESSE  251 

"It  is  a  lie  !  "  said  the  marquis,  quickly.  "A  das- 
tardly lie  !  I  know  men.  I  would  pledge  my  life  for 
the  honor  and  fidelity  of  that  man  !  " 

"  Your  life  .isn't  much  of  a  hazard,  Vaudemont,  and 
besides  you  made  a  mistake  before.  You  were  willing 
to  pledge  your  life  once  for  the  fidelity  of  Brebceuf. 
Now  'tis  I  who  stake  on  him.  I  tell  you  arrange- 
ments have  all  been  made  to  let  this  Englishman  go. 
He  gave  you  up  to  me." 

"  'Tis  not  true,  I  say !  "Pis  not  true  !  "  said  the 
marquis  again. 

He  would  have  given  his  very  soul,  his  hope  of  salva- 
tion, for  a  sword. 

"  My  father,"  said  the  girl,  turning  to  the  old  man 
as  if  he  had  indeed  been  her  father,  "  he  refused  me  — 
to-night. " 

"  Impossible  !     Did  you  —  " 

"  I  did  nothing,  sir.  He  said  that  he  loved  me  and  I 
—  I  —  admitted  —  " 

"  Then  he  would  have  none  of  her,"  interrupted  Garron. 
"  But  have  courage,  mademoiselle,  there's  as  good  fish  in 
the  sea  as  were  ever  caught.  Look  at  me  !  I  love  you, 
a  blunt  sailor,  but  with  a  true  loyal  heart.  Take  me !  " 

There  was  a  tap  upon  the  door  of  the  cabin. 

"  Who's  there  ?  "  cried  Garron,  angrily.  "  What  do 
you  want  ?  " 

"Captain  Dupetit-Thouars'  compliments,  Captain 
Garron.  A  signal  from  the  flagship  desiring  all  the 
captains  to  repair  on  board  at  once,"  said  a  midshipman 
entering. 


252  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

"  Perdition  I  "  growled  Garron.  "  Just  at  this  junc- 
ture when  she  was  almost  in  my  grasp  I  Have  my  gig 
called  away  and  say  that  I  shall  come  on  deck  imme- 
diately. You,  Vaudemont,  and  you,  woman,  remain 
in  the  cabin  I  Breboeuf,  guard  them  well  !  See  that 
they  hold  no  communication  with  the  Englishman 
until  I  return.  I  shall  be  back  at  once.  Au  revoir ! " 

He  swaggered  out  of  the  cabin  and  left  the  three 
alone.  As  he  passed  by  Macartney,  standing  just 
where  Louise  had  left  him,  with  his  head  bent  upon 
his  arms  upon  the  rail  of  the  ship,  Garron  touched  him 
upon  the  shoulder. 

"  I  am  called  to  the  flagship,  the  next  ahead.  I  shall 
return  in  half  an  hour.  It  is  my  desire  that  you 
remain  here  until  I  return.  The  Vaudemont  woman 
charges  me  to  say  to  you  that  she  does  not  wish  to  have 
you  approach  her  again." 

Macartney  nodded  his  head.  There  was  nothing  to 
say,  nothing  to  do.  His  honor  bound  him  to  this  man  ; 
his  honor  had  conquered,  but  had  left  him  broken- 
hearted. Louise  had  spurned  him  in  anger  and  shame. 
What  was  the  necessity  for  attempting  an  explanation, 
since  none  could  be  given  ?  The  parting  was  inevitable. 
Perhaps  some  day  she  would  understand. 

And  still  he  stared  across  the  rail  and  dreamed. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

BRl3B(EUF   SPEAKS   TO  THE  PUKPOSE 

BACK  in  the  cabin  a  strange  scene  was  taking  place. 
As  Garron  left  the  marquis  and  his  granddaughter  with 
Brebceuf,  Aurore  crept  out  of  the  stateroom  which  she 
had  shared  with  Louise  and  took  her  mistress  in  her 
arms.  The  woman  had  not  shed  a  tear,  had  not  given 
way  openly  to  her  shame  and  consternation,  but  her 
body  shook  with  nervous  shudders  which  the  faithful 
foster-sister  in  vain  endeavored  to  suppress.  The 
marquis  stared  at  Brebceuf  for  a  moment. 

"We  cannot  abide  the  presence  of  a  traitor,"  he 
said,  "  let  us  retire  to  our  staterooms  until  we  are 
summoned  again  ;  and  may  God  help  you,  my  child, 
for  indeed  I  cannot." 

An  extraordinary  thing  happened  as  he  turned  away. 
A  deep  voice  broke  the  silence. 

"  Wait !  "  said  Brebceuf. 

The  marquis  stopped  as  if  he  had  been  stricken.  He 
turned  slowly  and  faced  the  Breton. 

"  Did  you  dare,"  he  cried,  "  you  false,  betraying  dog, 
to  speak  to  me  ?  " 

Brebceuf  fumbled  at  his  belt,  undid  the  clasp,  dropped 
the  heavy  cutlass  clattering  upon  the  deck  of  the  cabin. 
His  two  pistols  he  laid  upon  the  table.  From  his  head 

253 


254  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

he  tore  the  hated  cap  that  some  one,  in  jest  at  his 
conversion  to  the  Republic,  had  given  him  to  wear  and 
which  he  had  worn  ever  since.  He  threw  it  at  his  feet, 
trampled  upon  it,  and  then  stretched  out  his  hands. 

"  Master  !  "  he  cried. 

The  marquis  moved  near  to  him. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ?  Have  you  turned 
traitor  again  ?  Would  you  betray  Garron  as  you 
betrayed  me  ?  " 

The  Breton  shook  his  head. 

"  Grandfather  !  "  cried  Louise,  quicker  of  apprehen- 
sion, "  I  see  it  all !  He  has  been  playing  the  part  for 
you,  for  me  !  He  is  our  friend  !  " 

The  sailor  fell  at  her  feet,  took  her  hand  in  his  own 
and  kissed  it,  and  worshipped  her  as  if  he  had  been 
kneeling  at  a  shrine. 

"  Right  !  "  he  said. 

"  Why  didn't  you  give  me  a  sign  ? "  asked  the 
marquis. 

"  Don't  you  see,  sir,  he  didn't  dare  !  He  had  to  win 
Garron's  confidence  absolutely  I  The  slightest  thing 
would  have  awakened  his  suspicions  !  He  played  the 
part  well.  Oh,  my  good  Breboeuf  !  "  she  cried,  turning 
to  the  old  man  and  taking  his  hand  again. 

"Thank  God,"  cried  the  marquis,  "that  loyalty  is 
not  dead  in  France  !  " 

"  Yonder,"  said  Brebreuf,  pointing  to  the  steps  lead- 
ing to  the  cabin  occupied  by  the  captain  on  the  deck 
above  them. 

Wondering,  but  obeying  his  command,  the  marquis 


BREBCEUF   SPEAKS   TO  THE  PURPOSE  255 

and  the  women  clambered  up  the  ladder  and  entered 
Garron's  cabin.  There  was  a  connection  between  the 
two,  although  it  had  not  been  used  since  they  had  been 
on  the  ship.  Brebosuf  opened  the  scuttle  and  led  the 
way.  The  marquis'  own  sword,  which  had  been  taken 
from  him  when  he  was  captured,  was  hanging  in  the 
captain's  stateroom.  Brebceuf  fetched  it  and  handed 
it  to  the  old  man.  His  pistols,  which  he  carefully 
charged,  the  Breton  also  gave  him. 

"  Saved  !  "  exclaimed  the  marquis.  "  His  life  for 
mine  !  Louise,  you  will  now  be  free.  We  shall  get 
the  papers  !  Honore  is  saved  !  France  —  " 

"  There  !  "  said  Bre"boeuf,  suddenly,  pointing  to  a 
vacant  stateroom  opposite  the  captain's  room. 

There  was  the  sound  of  oars  rattling  in  oar-locks 
from  the  water  alongside,  the  gentle  impact  of  a  boat 
glancing  against  the  ship  at  the  starboard  gangway. 

"  Garron  !  "  continued  the  Breton. 

"  Brebceuf,"  said  the  marquis,  instantly  comprehend- 
ing, "  you  are  a  sailor,  and  by  God,  you  are  a  gentle- 
man !  This  is  your  command.  I  obey.  I  will  wait 
till  you  call  me.  Come,  Louise." 

The  three  had  little  time  to  conceal  themselves  in 
the  small  cabin,  the  open  door  of  which  was  screened 
with  a  curtain  which  permitted  them  to  hear  everything 
that  was  said  in  the  great  cabin.  Breboeuf  hastily 
resumed  his  cutlass  and  pistols.  He  took  especial  care 
to  see  that  the  latter  were  in  absolutely  perfect  order. 
When  Garron  entered,  in  high  good  humor  at  having 
escaped  so  early,  he  was  followed  by  Macartney. 


256  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

A  man  about  to  escape  an  irksome  confinement,  a 
man  who  is  about  to  be  put  in  a  position  to  render 
his  country  a  great  service,  should  be  filled  with  joy. 
If  ever  death  were  written  on  a  face,  it  was  written  on 
that  of  Macartney.  As  the  light  from  the  cabin  lamp 
fell  upon  him  Garron  smiled  in  gratified  pleasure.  He 
realized  of  course  the  cause  of  Macartney's  grief.  The 
situation  only  made  him  the  more  determined  to  carry 
out  his  treacherous  plan.  By  so  doing  he  was  getting 
rid  of  his  most  dangerous  rival.  Master  Garron  was 
playing  a  deep,  dark  game,  with  many  ramifications  of 
which  those  who  were  most  closely  interested  in  his 
actions  as  yet  knew  nothing. 

"  Be  seated,  monsieur,"  he  said  formally.  "  You 
have  come  to  a  decision,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  I  must  go,"  answered  Macartney.  "  I  can  do 
nothing  else." 

"  You  will  leave  the  ship  and  all  it  contains  to-night, 
then?" 

"  I  must,  I  can't  help  it  !  " 

"  You  said  nothing  to  the  Vaudemont  woman  ?  " 

"  Look  you,  Garron,"  said  Macartney,  "  I  am  in  no 
mood  for  your  sneers.  A  man  can  do  his  duty  up  to  a 
certain  limit,  but  there  are  times  when  the  strain  is  too 
great.  Call  that  young  woman  '  mademoiselle '  if  you 
wish  anything  further  from  me." 

"  Very  well,"  answered  Garron,  awed  by  the  other's 
furious  anger.  "  What's  in  a  word,  anyway  ?  " 

"Much!" 

"  You  will  go  to-night  ?  " 


BREBCEUF   SPEAKS   TO   THE  PURPOSE  257 

"The  quicker  the  better." 

"  And  the  reward  ?  " 

"  Arrange  it  as  you  will." 

"  I  have  drawn  it  up  in  writing.     Shall  I  read  it  ?  " 

"  I  will  read  it  myself." 

Garron  handed  him  the  paper,  and  Macartney  hastily 
made  himself  master  of  the  contents. 

"  Under  consideration  of  the  sacrifices  made  by  Jean 
Garron,  Capitaine  de  Vaisseau  in  the  navy  of  France, 
in  behalf  of  his  rightful  King,  Louis  XVII,  in  which 
Garron  gives  freedom  to  me  and  engages  to  surrender 
Le  Tonnant  to  the  English  and  to  use  all  his  influence 
to  keep  the  French  fleet  where  it  is  and  in  its  present 
state  of  unpreparedness,  and  to  do  everything  to  make 
a  victory  easy  for  the  English  ;  and  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  Garron  promises  not  to  supply  General  Bonaparte 
with  information  in  his  possession  concerning  a  con- 
spiracy by  Captain  Honore  de  Vaudemont  to  abduct  the 
general,  Captain  Robert  Macartney,  Chef  d'Escadre  of 
the  English  Navy,  agrees  to  use  his  influence,  first,  to 
secure  for  the  said  Garron  a  pension  of  ten  thousand 
francs  ;  and  second,  to  see  that  said  Garron  is  ennobled 
by  his  rightful  king  when  he  shall  have  been  reestab- 
lished on  his  throne." 

"  Have  you  finished,  monsieur  ?  "  asked  Garron,  pres- 
ently. 

"Yes." 

"Those  were  substantially  the  terms  agreed  upon, 
were  they  not  ?  " 

"  They  were  I     Give  me  a  pen  !  " 

8 


258  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

He  signed  the  document  boldly. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  I  presume,  as  there  is  nothing  more 
to  be  done,  I  may  go  ?  " 

"  You  may.  You  will  find  a  cutter  alongside  manned 
by  Arabs  with  a  renegade  German  turned  Mohammedan 
as  their  captain.  He  is  in  my  pay  and  under  my  orders. 
Here  is  a  pass  to  permit  the  boat  to  run  the  guard-lines. 
They  keep  negligent  watch  out  yonder,  but  should  any 
one  of  the  sloops  or  frigates  overhaul  you,  this  pass, 
signed  by  Admiral  Brueys,  will  enable  the  vessel  to  go 
free.  You  would  better  not  be  seen,  though." 

"  I  shall  take  care  of  that.     May  I  have  arms  ?  " 

"Not  in  this  cabin.  There  are  some  in  the  cutter, 
which  are  at  your  service.  Here  also  is  a  rough  chart 
of  the  Bay  of  Aboukir,  which  may  help  you.  Good-by." 

He  stretched  out  his  hand  to  the  other  after  giving 
him  the  chart  mentioned. 

"  I  don't  have  to  take  your  hand.  'Tis  not  in  the 
bargain,"  answered  Macartney,  rudely  turning  away  in 
evident  contempt. 

"  Curse  you  !  "  said  Garron  under  his  breath,  fix- 
ing his  malevolent  gaze  upon  the  Irishman  moving 
toward  the  door.  Before  he  reached  it,  however,  he 
stopped. 

"  One  more  thing,"  he  said,  "  I  want  to  see  the  Com- 
tesse  de  Vaudemont  before  I  go." 

"  She  will  not  see  you.     You  can't  see  her." 

"  I  must !  "  said  Macartney,  coming  toward  Garron. 

"  What  have  you  to  say  to  her  ?  " 

"Never  mind  what.     I  want  to  see  her." 


BKiSBCEUF   SPEAKS   TO   THE   PURPOSE  259 

"  You  can't,  I  say  !     I  won't  —  " 

"  By  heaven,  sir ! "  cried  the  Irishman.  "  I  tell 
you-" 

"  Your  worcl  of  honor,  monsieur  !  " 

"  You  try  me  too  much  !  " 

He  was  very  near  the  Frenchman  now,  his  face  full 
of  passion,  and  Garron,  though  a  man  of  courage,  shrank 
away  from  him. 

"  Brebceuf  !  "  he  cried. 

Brebreuf  was  ready.  His  pistol  was  out.  Garron 
glanced  back  to  see  if  he  had  heard  his  summons  and 
found  himself  looking  into  the  barrel.  The  hand  of 
the  Breton  did  not  tremble  or  quiver.  Macartney 
stopped  in  astonishment,  while  Garron  fairly  gasped 
with  surprise. 

"Down  !  "  said  Brebreuf,  literally  forcing  his  captain 
into  his  seat  by  the  pressure  of  his  heavy  left  hand. 

"  Are  you  mad  ?  "  shouted  Garron.  "  What  do  you 
mean  ?  Put  down  your  pistol !  I'll  have  you  hanged ! " 

"  Master  !  "  called  the  Breton. 

Sword  in  hand  the  old  man  appeared  in  the  door. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  MARQUIS   GIVES   ADVICE 

"An,  Monsieur  Garron  !  "  said  the  marquis,  bowing 
suavely  with  all  the  magnificent  courtesy  of  which  he 
was  a  master,  "  how  fortunate  a  meeting  !  " 

"  The  women,  too  !  "  exclaimed  Garron,  as  Louise  and 
Aurore  followed  the  old  man  out  of  the  cabin. 

Macartney  awoke  to  life  at  the  sight  of  the  woman 
he  loved.  He  stepped  toward  her  instantly.  His 
movement  was  not  so  quick  as  hers.  She  deliberately 
turned  her  back  upon  him,  stepped  past  him,  and  walked 
to  the  other  side  of  her  grandfather. 

"  Betrayed  !  "  gasped  out  the  French  captain. 

"  You  are  accustomed  to  deal  in  treachery,  my  good 
Garron.  I  marvel  that  you  are  surprised  at  having  a 
measure  meted  out  to  you.  Here  we  be  four  men,  and 
two  are  gentlemen,  Breboeuf  and  myself,  and  two  are  — 
traitors  !  " 

He  looked  at  Macartney  as  he  spoke. 

"  If  you  mean  that  for  me,"  cried  Macartney,  fiercely, 

u  J »» 

"  You  resent  it,  Monsieur  le  Chevalier  ?  I  am  an  old 
man,  sir.  When  I  have  attended  to  this  reptile  I  shall 
be  at  the  service  of  his  brother  in  duplicity." 

"  My  God !  "  cried  the  Irishman.  "  Not  even  from 

260 


THE  MAEQUIS   GIVES   ADVICE  261 

her  grandfather  would  I  permit  —  hear  me,  monsieur, 
here  is  some  strange  mistake  !  You  misjudge  me  !  " 

"  Did  you  not  refuse  the  woman  ?  "  broke  in  Garron. 

He  was  frightened  to  death,  yet  he  could  not  resist 
the  temptation,  and,  perhaps,  he  argued,  keenly  enough, 
he  might  so  embroil  the  marquis  and  Macartney  as  to 
effect  his  own  escape,  or  at  least  distract  attention  from 
himself. 

"  You  hound  ! "  said  Macartney,  his  voice  low  and 
tense,  his  face  white,  his  eyes  ablaze,  "  you  know  — " 

"  Your  word  of  honor  !  "  cried  Garron. 

"  What  is  my  word  of  honor  compared  — " 

"  What  indeed  ? "  broke  in  the  marquis,  dryly. 
"Monsieur  Macartney,  you  declined  the  advances  — 
which  God  forgive  her  —  your  well-simulated  passion 
had  extorted  from  the  Comtesse  de  Vaudemont." 

u  J " 

"  Did  he  not,  Louise  ?  "  said  the  old  man,  turning  to 
the  girl. 

The  comtesse  stared  at  Macartney  for  a  moment,  her 
blood  in  her  face.  She  nodded,  turned  away,  and 
buried  her  head  on  Aurore's  broad  shoulders. 

"You  see,  monsieur?  You  were  once  a  man  of 
honor,  I  think,  and  though  you  have  associated  your- 
self with  these  canailles  on  the  ship  here,  you  cannot 
have  forgotten  what  is  customary  among  gentlemen." 

"  Monsieur,"  cried  Macartney,  "  I  swear  to  you,  rather 
than  bring  a  blush  of  shame  to  the  cheek  of  that  lady, 
your  granddaughter,  I  would  kill  myself  with  my  own 
hand ! " 


262  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"If  you  wish  to  spare  me  that  painful  duty,"  said 
the  marquis,  coolly,  "  I  have  no  doubt  that  opportunity 
will  be  provided.  Indeed,  if  you  give  me  your  word  of 
honor  that  you  will  use  it  upon  no  one  but  yourself,  I 
will  provide  you  with  a  weapon." 

He  offered  Macartney  one  of  his  own  pistols.  The 
man  took  it,  raised  it  with  what  half-formed  purpose  in 
his  mind  he  scarce  divined.  As  he  seized  it  the  girl 
brushed  hastily  past  her  grandfather  and  clasped  him 
by  the  arm. 

"No,  no  !  "  she  cried. 

"You  see,  monsieur,"  said  the  marquis,  fiercely. 
"  Why  do  you  hesitate  ?  " 

Macartney  looked  in  Louise's  eyes  and  lowered  his 
hand.  As  he  stared  at  her  she  shrank  away  from  him. 

"I  do  more  than  hesitate,"  he  said.  "I  refuse  be- 
cause I  have  a  duty  to  perform." 

"  Duty  !  "  sneered  the  old  noble,  "  a  clever  subterfuge 
—  an  easy  recourse.  I  have  no  doubt  this  dog  here 
prated  of  duty  when  he  offered  to  betray  his  ship  and 
let  you  go  free.  And  when,  as  the  price  of  your  free- 
dom, you  abandoned  your  suit  for  the  Comtesse  de 
Vaudemont,  you,  too,  made  use  of  the  same  word.  I 
had  thought  —  stop,  monsieur  !  "  continued  the  old 
noble,  fiercely,  seeing  Macartney  endeavoring  to  inter- 
rupt him,  "  I  had  thought  of  attending  to  Garron  first, 
but  you  have  a  prior  claim.  Is  there  another  sword, 
Brebceuf  ?  We  can  settle  our  affair  now." 

"  I  will  not  fight  with  you  I  "  said  Macartney,  throw- 
ing the  pistol  upon  the  table. 


THE  MARQUIS   GIVES   ADVICE  263 

"  Afraid,  monsieur  ?  " 

"  Afraid,  my  lord  !  It  ill  becomes  me  to  speak 
of  it,  but  have  I  not  given  you  proof  upon  proof 
of  my  courage,  as  I  thought  I  had  given  this  lady 
proof  upon  proof  of  my  love  ?  It's  all  a  hideous  mis- 
take !  " 

"  Were  you  not  to  leave  the  ship  to-night  ?  "  asked 
the  marquis. 

"Yes." 

"  Were  you  not  to  leave  us  here  ?  " 

"Yes,  but—" 

"  I  will  hear  no  more  !  " 

When  Macartney  had  thrown  the  pistol  upon  the 
table  he  had  unwittingly  placed  it  within  the  reach  of 
Garron.  The  two  men  had  become  so  excited  in  their 
conversation  that  their  attention  had  been  withdrawn 
from  him.  Garron  thought  he  saw  a  chance  for  free- 
dom. Suddenly  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  reached  for 
the  pistol.  He  reckoned  without  Brebosuf,  however. 
The  old  man  apparently  had  been  watching  the  mar- 
quis and  Macartney  with  profound  attention.  But 
before  Garron  had  got  fairly  to  his  feet  the  iron  hand 
of  the  Breton  grasped  him  and  forced  him  down  in 
his  chair  again.  Garron  cowered  under  the  ferocious 
glare  of  the  old  sailor,  who  thrust  the  barrel  of  his 
pistol  full  into  his  face. 

"  Monsieur  Macartney,"  he  cried  piteously,  "  you  are 
my  ally !  Deliver  me  from  these  people  !  " 

"  You  coward  !  "  hissed  Macartney.  "  You  have 
ruined  me  1  You  have  lied  to  the  comtesse  about 


X 

264  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

me  !  You  devil !  Have  I  sold  my  soul  for  nothing  ? 
I  will  tell  of  — " 

"  Your  word  of  honor  !  "  Garron  burst  out  in  frantic 
appeal. 

"  Wait,"  said  Breboeuf,  who  had  gradually  untangled 
the  confusing  thread.  "  Liar  !  "  he  added,  striking 
Garron  heavily  with  his  left  hand.  "  Man  I  "  he  con- 
tinued, pointing  toward  Macartney  as  he  had  done 
once  before. 

"  What  is  it  ?     What  do  you  mean?  "  cried  Louise. 

"  No  bargain,"  continued  Brebceuf,  amazed  at  his 
own  volubility. 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?  " 

"I  heard." 

"  Is  it  true  ?  "  cried  the  girl,  looking  at  him. 

"  Your  promise,  Captain  !  Your  word  !  "  cried 
Garron  again. 

"  Chevalier  Macartney,"  said  the  vice-admiral,  "  give 
me  leave.  I  am  an  old  man  bred  in  the  most  hon- 
orable of  services.  I  have  lived  much  at  court  and 
camp.  Believe  me,  sir,  my  advice  should  have  weight. 
I  consider  that  you  are  absolved  from  any  engagement 
you  have  entered  into  with  this  man.  If  you  can  ex- 
plain the  equivocal  situation  in  which  you  find  yourself, 
I  think  you  should  do  so." 

Macartney  hesitated.  How  far  the  marquis  might 
acquiesce  in  Garron's  treachery ;  how  far  the  marquis' 
hatred  of  that  Republic  might  carry  him  ;  whether  the 
marquis  might  find  it  proper  to  reveal  to  Bonaparte 
Macartney's  share  of  the  proposed  undertaking  in  the 


THE  MARQUIS   GIVES  ADVICE  265 

hope  of  securing  his  own  freedom  and  that  of  his 
party,  Macartney  could  not  tell.  The  very  hesitancy 
in  his  mind,  however,  convinced  him  that  the  marquis 
was  wrong,  and  that  nothing  could  relieve  him,  not 
only  of  his  pledge,  but  of  the  obligations  of  the 
situation. 

"I  cannot,  monsieur;  but  this  I  can  say,  that  this 
man  never  knew  I  loved  the  Comtesse  de  Vaudemont 
until  hours  after  he  made  his  proposition  to  me ; 
and  I  assure  you  upon  my  word,  sir,  as  an  officer,  as  a 
Chevalier  of  the  noble  Order  of  St.  Louis,  that  no 
suspicion  of  bargaining  involving  your  granddaughter 
entered  between  us.  That  I  had  proposed  to  accept 
my  freedom  in  obedience  to  what  I  believed  the  para- 
mount call  of  duty,  is  true,  sir.  I  could  do  no  less. 
There  are  times,  my  lord,  when  even  the  voice  of  the 
heart  must  be  silenced  by  the  appeal  of  duty.  I  would 
give  everything  that  I  possess,  or  hope  for,  to  be  the 
husband  of  the  comtesse  yonder.  To  be  constrained  to 
say  nothing  when  kind  Providence  had  put  me  in 
possession  of  my  desire,  was  death  itself.  Not  by  any 
bond  into  which  I  may  have  entered  with  this  wretched 
traitor,  but  by  duty,  and  duty  alone,  sir,  was  I  —  am 
I  —  silent.  You  have  been  a  sailor,  my  lord,  you  can 
understand.  As  for  mademoiselle  —  I  cannot  hope." 

"  It's  a  lie  !    It's  a  lie  !  "  shouted  Garron. 

"  Truth,"  growled  the  Breton  under  his  breath. 

Louise  was  by  Macartney's  side  in  an  instant. 
Seizing  his  hand  in  both  her  own,  and  before  he  could 
prevent  it,  she  raised  it  to  her  lips. 


266  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

"Forgive  me,  forgive  me  !  "  she  cried. 

"  Monsieur  le  Chevalier,"  said  the  marquis,  gravely, 
"I  did  you  wrong.  My  sword  and  I  are  at  your 
service.  Should  you  choose  — " 

"  Monsieur,"  said  Louise,  gently,  "  he  is  an  old  man, 
my  grandfather  —  " 

"My  lord,"  said  Macartney,  "say  no  more.  May 
my  arm  perish  and  my  sword  rust  before  I  engage 
with  you !  Your  granddaughter  has  made  amends, 
and  now — " 

Before  he  could  say  another  word  Brebceuf,  moving 
with  astonishing  quickness,  left  Garron,  sprang  to  the 
other  side  of  the  table,  lifted  a  paper  from  it,  and 
before  the  French  captain  could  recover  his  breath, 
the  Breton  had  resumed  his  old  position.  With  a 
word  he  handed  a  paper  to  the  marquis. 

"  Proof  !  "  he  said. 

Stepping  nearer  the  light,  the  old  man  read  the 
agreement. 

"  Ah,"  he  exclaimed,  "  this  explains  it !  I  under- 
stand fully  now.  You  are  a  traitor  even  to  your  own 
Republic,  Garron ! " 

"  Captain  Macartney,"  said  Garron,  "  you  cannot  go 
free  unless  I  have  that  paper." 

"  What  happens  to  that  paper  is  immaterial  to  me," 
said  Macartney,  "  and  you  forget  that  I  have  your  pass." 

"  What  good  will  that  do  you  ?  " 

"  I  have  but  to  leave  the  cabin,  board  the  cutter,  and 
get  away  !  " 

"  The  officer  of  the  deck  will  not  allow  you  to  leave 


THE  MARQUIS   GIVES   ADVICE  267 

the  ship.  Your  pass  is  for  outside  the  lines.  Without 
a  word  from  me  —  " 

"  That  word  you  shall  speak.'* 

"Shall  I?" 

"  Monsieur  le  Marquis,  give  me  leave  to  command 
your  servant  a  moment  ?  " 

The  vice-admiral  nodded. 

"Brebceuf,"  continued  Macartney,  "stand  a  little 
back  of  the  captain.  There  !  Lower  your  pistol  until 
it  points  straight  at  his  heart,  through  his  back,  so  that 
no  one  entering  the  cabin  can  see.  Is  it  cocked  and 
primed  ?  " 

The  Breton  nodded. 

"  Very  well.  Now,  Monsieur  Garron,  you  will  ring 
that  bell  on  your  table.  When  the  orderly  enters  the 
cabin  you  will  say  to  him,  '  Bid  the  officer  of  the  watch 
allow  Monsieur  Macartney  and  the  Marquis  de  Vaude- 
mont  and  his  party  enter  the  cutter  alongside,  which 
is  to  be  under  his  orders.'  Just  that  and  nothing  more. 
If  he  makes  sign  or  gesture  or  doesn't  deliver  the  mes- 
sage exactly,  pull  the  trigger,  Brebreuf." 

"  An  admirable  plan,"  said  the  marquis.  "  Then  you 
intend  that  we  go  with  you  ?  " 

"  I  propose  it,  monsieur.  'Twill  be  a  hazardous 
voyage,  but  we  shall  be  free." 

"Enough,"  said  the  marquis,  "we  will  go.  But 
first  —  " 

"  Curse  you  !     I  —  "  cried  Garron. 

"  Silence  !  "  said  the  Breton,  digging  the  pistol  into 
the  man's  back. 


268  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

Brebceuf  had  little  to  say,  but  what  he  had  to  say  was 
exceedingly  to  the  point  always. 

"  First,"  continued  the  marquis,  "  I  must  secure  pos- 
session of  my  papers." 

He  stepped  over  to  the  table  and  began  to  rummage 
among  the  documents  spread  upon  it. 

"  Too  late  !  "  laughed  Garron,  an  idea  flashing  into 
his  mind.  "I  sent  them  to  Bonaparte  this  afternoon." 

"  Ah  !  "  said  the  vice-admiral,  quickly,  "  Where  is 
the  general  ?  " 

"He  was  to  arrive  at  Alexandria  from  Cairo  this 
evening.  You  may  go,  Macartney,  since  this  treach- 
erous dog  has  the  advantage  of  me.  But  not  you, 
Vaudemont,  or  if  you  do,  your  grandson  will  be  facing 
a  file  of  men  on  the  sands  to-morrow.  Bonaparte  will 
have  him  shot.  Perhaps  —  " 

"  Hardly,"  said  the  marquis,  coolly. 

"  Why  not,  Vaudemont  ?  " 

The  marquis  was  punctiliously  courteous,  in  small 
even  as  in  great  matters,  and  he  demanded  the  same 
courtesy  from  others  when  he  had  the  power  to  enforce 
it.  In  this  instance  it  happened  that  he  had.  He 
leaned  over  the  table  and  looked  Garron  closely  in  the 
eye. 

"  Say  Monsieur  le  Marquis  de  Vaudemont,"  he 
whispered  gently,  and  Garron  did  so.  "  You  wish  to 
know  why  my  grandson  will  not  be  shot  ?  I  will  buy 
his  life." 

"With  what?" 

"With  this." 


THE  MARQUIS  GIVES  ADVICE  269 

He  lifted  Macartney's  contract.  Garron  stared  at 
him,  his  face  bloodless  with  terror.  It  had  not  occurred 
to  him  what  a  mighty  weapon  of  destruction  this  paper 
was  in  the  hands  of  an  enemy. 

"  Mercy  !  "  he  gasped,  but  as  he  looked  into  the  in- 
flexible iron  face  of  the  marquis  he  knew  that  his  plea 
was  in  vain. 

"  Such  mercy  as  I  would  show  to  a  mad  dog,  Garron." 

"  But,"  said  Macartney,  reluctantly,  "  I  must  inter- 
fere. I  cannot  —  " 

"  Monsieur  Macartney,"  interrupted  the  vice-admiral, 
at  the  same  time  covering  him  with  his  pistol,  "  it  is 
your  duty,  of  course,  to  endeavor  to  possess  yourself  of 
this  paper  lest  your  plan  miscarry.  It  is  my  duty  not 
to  allow  you  to  have  it.  I  am  quite  the  equal  of 
Breboeuf  on  the  trigger." 

Macartney  smiled. 

"  Having  done  my  duty,  monsieur,  I  conceive  that 
honor  is  satisfied.  I  am  unarmed.  What  conditions 
do  you  make  ?  " 

"  One,"  said  the  vice-admiral,  also  smiling.  "  You 
have  been  overcome  by  force  majeure.  I  require  your 
word  of  honor  that  you  will  not  attempt  to  take  this 
paper  from  me." 

"And  if  I  give  it?" 

"  You  may  go  where  you  will,"  said  the  old  man. 

"  You  have  it,"  said  Macartney. 

"Bien!"  said  the  vice-admiral,  lowering  his  pistol. 
"Now  we  would  better  get  away  without  delay.  I 
shall  take  this  document  to  General  Bonaparte  at 


270  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

Alexandria  and  tell  him  the  truth.  By  it  I  shall 
secure,  I  trust,  my  grandson's  life  and  the  protection  of 
my  granddaughter  from  this  miscreant.  Bonaparte  is 
a  Republican,  but  they  say  he  has  a  magnanimous  heart, 
a  respect  for  old  age,  and  a  sympathy  with  misfortune. 
The  boat  is  yours,  Captain  Macartney.  You  must  take 
us  to  Alexandria,  and  then — go  where  you  please." 

"  What  shall  we  do  with  Garron?  "  asked  Macartney. 

"  Oh,  gag  and  bind  him,  and  leave  him,  I  suppose." 

"  I  remain,"  said  Breboeuf. 

The  marquis  looked  thoughtfully  at  the  man. 

"  Yes,  that  would  be  best,"  he  said.  "  You  can  keep 
him  quiet  through  the  night.  Don't  kill  him.  I  shall 
be  back  before  morning  with  orders,  but,  if  there  should 
be  some  delay,  what  then?" 

"  Death !  "  said  the  Breton,  smiling,  as  if  it  were  a 
matter  of  indifference  to  him. 

"It  must  be  so,"  said  the  vice-admiral,  slowly  and 
reluctantly.  "  If  we  should  leave  him  here  alone,  some 
one  might  come  in.  He  would  give  the  alarm.  We 
would  be  overtaken.  I  am  loath  to  leave  you,  Breboeuf, 
but  there  seems  no  other  way.  But  —  " 

"The  man  must  stay,"  said  Macartney.  "The 
captain  must  give  orders  that  he  is  not  to  be  interfered 
with  until  morning  and  the  sailor  must  keep  watch  over 
him.  General  Bonaparte  has  a  reputation  for  promptness 
and  celerity.  In  such  a  case  he  will  act  immediately. 
The  order  for  Garron's  arrest  will  be  here  before  dawn." 

"  I  shall  bring  it  myself,"  said  the  marquis,  "  if  I  can 
obtain  it." 


THE  MAKQDIS   GIVES   ADVICE  271 

"Gentlemen,"  gasped  the  unhappy  captain  of  Le 
Tonnant,  "  for  God's  sake  —  he  will  have  me  shot  —  I'll 
let  you  go  —  I  will  do  anything  —  " 

"  Can  you  recall  that  paper  that  you  sent  to  General 
Bonaparte  ?  " 

"  I  lied,  I  lied !     It  wasn't  sent !  "  cried  the  man. 

"  Yes,  you  said  you  would  hold  it  when  you  asked 
me  to  sign  that  paper,"  said  Macartney. 

"  Produce  it,  then,"  said  the  marquis. 

"  I  destroyed  it  —  I  lost  it  —  I  —  I  —  " 

"  No  more  lies  !  "  said  the  old  man,  curtly.  "  Now, 
Captain  Macartney,  your  lesson  to  him." 

"Garron,"  said  Macartney,  "you  are  to  call  the 
officer  of  the  watch  by  your  orderly  who  will  answer 
when  I  tap  yonder  bell.  You  are  to  say  to  the  officer 
of  the  watch,  'Allow  Captain  Macartney,  and  the 
Marquis  de  Vaudemont  and  his  party,  to  leave  the 
ship  in  the  cutter  alongside.  Here  is  a  permit  from 
Admiral  Brueys  to  pass  the  cutter  outside  the  lines  —  on 
business  for  the  Republic.  Please  give  orders  that  I  be 
not  disturbed  during  the  night.'  Say  it  over  after  me  !  " 

" '  Allow  Captain  Macartney,  the  Marquis  de  Vaude- 
mont and  his  party  — '  Mercy !  " 

"  Go  on !  "  said  Macartney. 

" '  To  leave  the  ship  in  the  cutter  alongside.  Here 
is  a  permit  from  Admiral  Brueys'  —  for  God's  sake, 
monsieur  —  " 

"  Finish  !  "  remarked  Macartney,  coolly. 

" '  To  pass  the  cutter  outside  the  lines  —  on  business 
for  the  Republic '  —  I  can't  do  it,  I  dare  not  I  " 


272  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

"  You  must !     Say  the  rest !  " 

"  *  Please  give  orders  that  I  be  not  disturbed  during 
the  night.'" 

Over  and  over  again  they  made  the  miserable  man 
repeat  the  message  until  he  had  it  letter  perfect. 

"  Now,"  said  Macartney,  "  if  you  indicate  by  voice, 
or  look,  or  gesture,  if  you  falter,  or  hesitate,  or  betray 
us  by  any  sign  whatsoever,  Breboeuf  shall  kill  you  here 
like  the  dog  that  you  are !  " 

"  And  I  have  a  weapon  in  case  Breboeuf  should  fail," 
said  the  marquis,  pleasantly,  sitting  down  close  to  the 
captain  in  the  most  friendly  way,  his  own  pistol  cover- 
ing him  and  concealed  by  the  table.  "Remember,  a 
single  sign  and  you  are  a  dead  man  I  " 

"  My  men  will  kill  you  if  you  fire,"  said  Garron. 

"You  won't  be  there  to  see  that.  Besides,  better 
death  from  their  hands  than  life  from  yours,"  said  the 
vice-admiral.  "And  you  forget  we  shall  have  this  paper 
to  show  them  —  "  he  paused  significantly.  "Ready, 
Captain  Macartney  ?  "  he  said,  turning  to  Macartney. 

The  young  man  reached  out  his  hand  and  struck  the 
bell.  Before  the  officer  of  the  watch,  who  was  sum- 
moned by  an  orderly  who  had  entered  the  cabin  in 
obedience  to  the  signal,  came  in,  Macartney  lowered 
the  light  and  placed  himself  in  such  a  position  that 
the  officer  would  have  to  step  over  him  to  get  to  the 
centre  of  the  room.  It  was  as  well  he  did  so,  for 
Garron  was  as  pale  as  death.  Great  beads  of  sweat 
stood  on  his  forehead.  At  a  signal  from  Macartney 
Louise  placed  herself  next  the  lamp  so  that  Garron's 


THE   MAKQDIS   GIVES   ADVICE  273 

face  was  in  shadow,  otherwise  the  officer  of  the  watch 
could  not  have  failed  to  notice  this  agitation. 

Garron  delivered  his  message  quickly  so  soon  as 
Lieutenant  Bauduy  put  his  head  in  the  door.  He  did 
not  dare  do  otherwise.  The  agony  of  the  man  was 
frightful,  and  he  had  that  instinctive  desire  to  get  it 
over  with  which  sometimes  moves  a  criminal  to  hurry 
his  executioners. 

"Very  good,  sir,"  said  the  lieutenant,  saluting  and 
withdrawing. 

"  Now,  Admiral,"  said  Macartney,  "  are  you  ready  ?  " 

"  In  a  moment,"  answered  the  old  man.  "  Aurore, 
step  below  and  fetch  cloaks  for  your  mistress  and 
myself.  My  good  Garron,"  continued  the  marquis,  as 
the  woman  brought  the  garments,  "I  trust  you  will 
have  a  pleasant  evening  with  the  faithful  Breboeuf.  I 
was  right,  you  see,  when  I  staked  my  life  on  his 
honesty  and  fidelity,  worthless  as  you  reminded  me 
that  stake  was.  I  will  give  you  a  subject  for  con- 
sideration in  the  silent  watches  of  the  night.  That 
is,  that  it  is  well  to  be  faithful  to  something,  even 
though  it  be  only  that  visionary  affair  men  call  a 
Republic.  I  shall  see  you  in  the  morning,  doubtless. 
Therefore,  I  say  au  revoir.  Come,  mademoiselle. 
Come,  Macartney." 

"  Curse  you ! "  cried  Garron,  raising  his  voice. 
"May  —  " 

"  Silence  !  "  said  Brebreuf,  ruthlessly,  as  Macartney, 
the  last  of  the  party  to  leave,  closed  the  door. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

WHERE   CLEOPATRA   SAILED 

IT  was  perhaps  half  after  nine  o'clock  at  night  when 
the  escaping  prisoners  descended  to  the  deck  of  the 
cutter  lying  alongside.  The  captain  of  the  cutter  was 
a  master  of  that  polyglot  dialect  prevalent  among  sea- 
farers in  the  Mediterranean,  which  is  known  as  Lingua- 
Franca,  in  which  Macartney  was  also  proficient,  and 
they  had  no  trouble  in  telling  him  what  to  do.  Cap- 
tain Schneider  had  received  instructions  from  Garron 
that  he  was  to  obey  Macartney  implicitly.  He  made 
no  hesitation,  therefore,  about  casting  off  and  beating 
up  the  bay  toward  the  open  sea.  The  wind  was  blow- 
ing fresh  and  strong  from  the  eastward,  and  so  soon  as 
they  rounded  the  point  of  Isle  Bequieres,  which  formed 
the  northwestern  extremity  of  the  Bay,  they  would 
have  an  easy  run  for  the  city  distant  some  ten  miles 
away. 

There  was  a  little  cabin  in  the  cutter,  and  the  vice- 
admiral,  a  man  of  nearly  seventy  years  of  age  and  not 
naturally  robust,  concluded  that  he  would  lie  down 
upon  one  of  the  transoms  in  the  hope  of  snatching  an 
hour  or  two  of  sleep  in  order  better  to  sustain  the 
fatigues  that  he  foresaw  would  be  entailed  upon  him 
by  their  further  adventures.  He  was  already  much 

274 


WHERE   CLEOPATRA   SAILED  275 

exhausted  by  the  scene  in  the  cabin.  Before  he  did  so 
he  took  occasion  once  more  to  apologize  to  Macartney. 

Again  that  officer  had  extricated  them  from  their 
fearful  peril,  although  he  could  have  done  nothing,  of 
course,  without  the  invaluable  assistance  of  Brebceuf. 
The  vice-admiral  was  able  thoroughly  to  enter  into  the 
situation  of  the  Irishman.  He  was  able  fully  to  under- 
stand and  comprehend  what  the  man  must  have  gone 
through. 

That  he  had  so  nobly  sacrificed  himself  at  the  call  of 
duty  only  served  to  raise  him  in  the  estimation  of  this 
remarkable  old  man.  Here  was  one  who  could  fully  be 
trusted  with  the  honor  of  the  de  Vaudemonts.  Here 
was  one  to  whom  with  confidence  could  be  committed 
the  care  of  his  granddaughter.  No  degradation  could 
come  to  the  blood  of  the  de  Vaudemonts  in  its  admix- 
ture with  that  of  Macartney.  The  Irishman  had 
fairly  won  the  right  to  consideration.  The  old  man 
could  make  no  more  objection. 

"Monsieur  Macartney,"  he  said,  after  he  had  an- 
nounced his  intention  of  retiring  to  the  cabin,  "  again 
I  beg  you  to  forgive  me.  I  have  been  young  who  now 
am  old.  I  have  loved  and  have  gained  even  as  I  have 
lost.  I,  too,  am  a  sailor.  I  know  what  it  must  have 
cost  you.  Duty  —  'tis  hard  even  for  the  old,  in  the 
face  of  a  woman,  and  for  the  young  "  —  he  lifted  his 
hands  with  a  characteristic  gesture  —  "I  make  what 
amends  I  can,  monsieur.  'Tis  a  heavenly  night.  I 
could  have  revelled  in  it  fifty  years  ago.  I  leave  it  to 
you  and  Louise." 


276  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

Discreetly  enough  Aurore  stepped  forward  to  the 
extreme  edge  of  the  cockpit,  nestled  down  into  a  cor- 
ner, and,  like  the  marquis  on  the  transoms  in  the  cabin, 
composed  herself  to  slumber.  The  little  enclosure  aft 
was  empty  of  all  save  grizzled  old  Herr  Schneider  and 
the  two  lovers.  The  Arabs  of  the  crew  were  clustered 
around  the  mast  forward.  The  captain  was  busy  sail- 
ing the  boat  and  had  no  eyes  for  anything  or  anybody, 
discreet  and  worthy  German  that  he  was. 

Louise  and  Macartney  were  practically  alone.  A 
little  silence  fell  between  them,  the  stillness  of  a  sweet, 
warm  tropic  night  upon  the  water,  broken  by  the  soft 
splash  of  the  waves  dashed  into  spray  by  the  bows  and 
rippling  caressingly  along  the  sides.  As  the  boat  heaved 
in  the  gentle  swells  the  boom  swung  with  a  slight 
creaking  that  added  a  not  discordant  note  to  the  soft 
whisper  of  the  breeze  through  the  rigging.  It  was  such 
a  night  as  lovers  dream  upon  and  long  to  live  in. 

And  they  were  happy.  They  had  escaped  as  by  a  mir- 
acle from  the  direst  of  perils.  With  that  full  conscious- 
ness which  does  not  come  from  intuition  alone  but  from 
a  frank  admission  as  well,  they  realized  at  last  that  each 
the  other  loved.  And  there  was  a  very  heaven  of  con- 
tent in  the  assurance.  There  were  a  thousand  things 
that  might  be  said,  a  thousand  words  that  trembled 
upon  their  lips,  a  thousand  thoughts  that  surged  within 
their  breasts.  But  they  sat  close  together,  silent,  still. 

Singularly  enough,  it  was  the  woman  who  moved 
first.  She  reached  out  her  hand,  that  strong,  firm, 
white,  beautiful  hand,  the  hand  of  a  woman  fit  indeed 


WHEKE   CLEOPATRA   SAILED  277 

to  be  the  bride  of  a  sailor,  and  took  the  man's  hand  in 
a  warm  and  tender  clasp. 

"  Will  you  forgive  me,  monsieur  ?  "  she  murmured. 
"  I  asked  you  in  the  cabin  of  the  ship  yonder,  but  you 
did  not  say." 

"  Forgive  you  !  Oh,  Louise  !  "  answered  Macartney, 
his  soul  in  his  glance.  "If  you  could  know  the 
anguish  I  passed  through  in  that  moment  when  you 
said  you  loved  me  and  there  was  nothing  I  could  do  but 
turn  away  !  Yet  only  the  joy  of  the  present  enables  me 
to  measure  the  agony  of  that  moment." 

"  But  you  have  not  forgiven  me  ?  I  want  to  hear 
that !  To  have  that  assurance  !  " 

Macartney  cast  a  swift  glance  aft.  Herr  Schneider 
was  standing  holding  the  tiller  and  staring  persistently 
up  to  windward  trying  to  see  if  he  could  weather  the 
point  without  going  about.  Aurore  was  asleep.  The 
Arabs  forward  were  concealed  by  the  sail  which  threw 
its  shadow  over  them. 

"  Forgive  you  !  "  he  whispered. 

He  slipped  his  arm  along  the  rail  until  it  fell  round 
her  shoulders,  and  then  he  drew  her  to  him.  She  was 
startled  beyond  measure.  Yet  she  knew  what  she 
would  do.  The  thought  gave  her  a  pang  almost  of 
terror.  No  man,  no  lover,  had  ever —  She  would 
have  freed  herself  and  moved  away,  but  something 
constrained  her.  Her  bosom  heaved,  her  pulse  throbbed, 
her  voice  quivered. 

"  Mercy  !  "  she  faltered,  as  she  had  pleaded  with  him 
once  before,  long  ago. 


278  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

But  he  had  none  for  her  now.  Her  heart  rose  in  her 
throat  and  he  found  it  upon  her  lips  as  he  pressed  them 
to  his  own.  She  trembled  in  his  embrace  as  a  fright- 
ened bird.  Her  head  fell  back  upon  his  shoulder.  There 
was  light  enough,  or  was  it  the  embodiment  of  his  own 
imagination  that  enabled  him  to  see  in  her  face,  as  it 
enabled  her  to  see  in  his,  the  illumination  of  a  deathless 
passion  ? 

She  had  hesitated,  she  had  resisted,  she  had  cried  for 
mercy  —  now  she  was  conquered.  She  gave  herself  up 
to  him  in  complete  surrender.  He  could  not  kiss  her 
too  passionately  or  too  often.  The  years  of  service,  of 
worship,  of  adoration,  were  lost  in  the  joy  of  the  flying 
seconds.  She  was  his  at  last.  He  could  feel  her  heart 
beating  against  his  own,  her  lips  spoke  to  him  without 
a  word,  without  a  sound,  in  kisses  as  long  and  still  as 
death,  and  as  sweet,  ay,  sweeter,  than  life  itself. 

"  Don't,"  she  said  at  last.  "  It  is  too  much.  I  can- 
not bear  so  much  —  happiness." 

"  And  you  are  mine,  mine,  after  all  these  years  ! 
Not  England,  not  France,  not  anything,  can  take  you 
from  me  now  !  " 

"  Yours,  yours  always  I  I  have  been  a  proud  woman, 
Monsieur  —  Robert  — - "  How  her  voice  lingered  over 
his  name  !  "  But  now  I  give  myself  to  you  and  joy  in 
the  giving.  You  will  take  me  away.  I  shall  be  a 
stranger  in  a  strange  land.  I  shall  never  see  France 
again.  But  I  shall  be  yours,  yours  only,  yours  all  — 
that  will  suffice  !  " 

"My  darling,"  whispered   the  man,  tenderly,  "life 


WHERE  CLEOPATRA   SAILED  279 

shall  be  as  you  wish  it.     Where  you  go,  I  will  follow  ; 
where  you  live,  I  will  live ;  where  you  die,  I  will  die  ; 
where  you   are   buried,  there  will  I   be  buried  also. 
Having  you,  I  can  give  up  everything  else." 
"  Yes,  everything  but  honor  and  duty." 
"  But  had  I  not  clung  to  those,  dear,  I  would  be  un- 
worthy of  your  love." 

"  That  is  the  difference  between  man  and  woman," 
she  sighed,  enlightened  at  last  by  the  knowledge  which 
comes  but  once  in  a  lifetime  and  lasts  forever.  "  When 
a  woman  loves  she  loves  with  all.  You  might  be  dishon- 
ored and  shamed  ;  I  would  grieve  for  that,  but  I  would 
still  love  you.  You  might  be  false  to  your  duty  and 
disgraced  ;  it  would  break  my  heart,  but  I  would  be 
true,  I  would  love  you." 

"  Yet  what  would  you  think  of  me  if  I  —  " 
"  I  would  have  you  do  what  is  right,  but  if  you  felt 
as  —  I   only  want  to  show  you   that  a  man's  love  is 
different  from  a  woman's." 

"  Louise,"  answered  Macartney,  "  I  know  that. 
Nothing  that  I  could  say  or  do  or  be  could  make  me 
worthy  of  you.  I  was  not  an  admirable  character, 
a  careless,  happy-go-lucky  sailor,  that  day  when  I 
stumbled  in  upon  you  in  the  old  ruined  tower  in  Pro- 
vence, but  now  I  am  different.  From  that  day  I  have 
been  more  faithful,  more  constant,  than  the  compass 
needle  to  its  star.  Wherever  I  have  gone,  whatever  I 
have  done,  my  heart  has  swung  toward  you.  I  have 
not  had  a  thought  that  you  could  not  share.  There 
has  not  been  an  action  that  you  could  not  know.  I 


280  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

have  tried,  since  I  saw  you,  to  be  worthy  of  you,  and 
all  my  life  will  be  one  long  regret  that  I  did  not  see 
you  before,  that  from  the  time  I  was  enabled  to  shape 
my  own  conduct  I  have  not  had  you  before  me  to  in- 
spire me,  to  help  me,  to  lift  me  upward." 

"  I  would  not  have  you  different,"  said  the  woman, 
softly.  "  What  I  have  loved  has  been  here."  She 
laid  her  hand  upon  his  breast.  How  his  heart  quivered 
under  the  light  touch  of  her  fingers.  "  I  could  not 
want  anything  changed,  for  what  is  here  fills  my  own 
heart  full.  You  are  there  and  it  could  contain  nothing 
more." 

She  smiled  at  him  as  she  spoke.  Low  upon  the  hori- 
zon the  red-gold  edge  of  the  rising  moon  shot  a  ray 
across  the  waters.  The  light  fell  upon  her  face.  His 
eyes  devoured  her,  and  reckless  of  who  might  see,  "  the 
world  forgetting,  by  the  world  forgot,"  he  kissed  her 
again  and  again,  and  full  and  fair  and  sweet  she 
returned  his  every  caress. 

"  Monsieur,"  after  a  time — neither  of  the  lovers  knew 
whether  it  were  long  or  short  —  exclaimed  the  gruff 
voice  of  Herr  Schneider,  who  was  most  persistently 
staring  away  from  the  lovers,  "  yonder  are  the  lights  of 
Alexandria.  What  next  ?  " 

"  Aurore  I  "  called  Macartney,  quickly  ;  and,  as  the 
maid  sleepily  stumbled  toward  him,  "Summon  your 
master." 

As  the  marquis  came  out  of  the  little  trunk  cabin  the 
Irishman  spoke  boldly  to  him.  There  was  little  time 
in  any  event. 


WHERE   CLEOPATRA   SAILED  281 

"  Monsieur  de  Vaudemont,  the  comtesse  has  done  me 
the  honor  to  allow  me  to  repair  the  frightful  mischance 
of  the  evening,"  he  said. 

"  But  how,  Captain  Macartney  ?  " 

"  She  has  deigned  to  accept  my  love,  my  lord.  Have 
I  your  consent  to  make  her  my  wife  ?  " 

"  Not  to-night,  surely  ?  "  exclaimed  the  old  man. 

"  No,  not  to-night.     I  have  a  duty  to  perform." 

"  When,  then  ?  " 

"When  I  have  performed  it."  He  paused.  "At  the 
earliest  convenient  season,  Monsieur  le  Marquis." 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  the  marquis,  gravely.  "  You  are  a 
man  of  honor,  a  gentleman.  You  have  served  me  and 
shall  serve  the  King  of  France.  I  am  an  old  man, 
and  the  times  indeed  are  out  of  joint.  You  will 
love  her,  you  will  watch  over  her,  you  will  care  for 
her?" 

"  As  my  own  soul !  "  answered  Macartney. 

"  God  bless  you  !  "  said  the  marquis,  reaching  out  his 
hand. 

"  May  He  so  deal  with  me  as  I  deal  with  her,  mon- 
sieur," returned  the  younger  man,  solemnly. 

Louise  stood  up  and  slipped  her  arms  around  the  old 
man's  neck. 

"  I  love  him,"  she  whispered,  "  I  love  him." 

"  I  know,  my  child,"  smiled  the  marquis,  patting  her 
gently  on  the  shoulder.  "Come,  no  tears  now.  We 
have  work  to  do." 

"The  lights  of  Alexandria,  monsieur,"  interrupted 
Macartney,  pointing. 


282  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  You,  too,  have  work  to  do,"  continued  the  old  man. 
"  What  are  your  plans  ?  " 

"  To  land  you  on  the  wharf  yonder." 

"  And  then  ?  " 

"  You  are  going  to  leave  me  ?  "  said  Louise,  "  just 
when  —  " 

"  My  child,  the  man  must  go  and  you  must  bid  him 
godspeed.  'Tis  for  our  King  he  strikes.  But  — " 
The  marquis  hesitated.  "  Yet  our  chances  might  be 
greater  with  Bonaparte,  I  imagine,  if  we  brought  him 
this  English  prisoner." 

As  he  spoke  the  old  admiral  ostentatiously  drew  his 
sword,  laid  it  down  upon  the  transom,  and  placed  his 
pistols  by  its  side.  "  I  shall  be  compelled  to  take  you 
with  us,  Captain  Macartney,  unless — " 

Macartney  was  quick  to  take  the  hint.  He  seized 
sword  and  pistol  and  pointed  the  weapon  at  the  marquis. 

"My  lord,"  he  said,  smiling,  as  he  spoke,  "turn 
about  is  fair  play.  I  am  master  now.  I  will  land 
you  at  the  wharf.  If  you  attempt  to  resist,  I  shall  be 
under  the  painful  necessity  of  pulling  the  trigger." 

"  I  yield,"  said  the  marquis,  bowing  gravely  ;  "  'tis 
to  force  majeure.  You  have  my  word,  monsieur." 

"  I  return  your  weapons,  therefore.  Captain  Schnei- 
der, where  can  General  Bonaparte  be  found  ?  " 

"At  the  Governor's  Palace,  doubtless,  monsieur," 
replied  the  German.  "  The  wharf  ahead  opens  on  the 
street  that  leads  to  where  it  is." 

"  Take  us  there.  Pardon  me,  Monsieur  le  Marquis, 
but  have  you  any  money  ?  " 


WHEKE   CLEOPATRA   SAILED  283 

"  A  little.  Enough  to  secure  an  escort  to  the  Palace 
and  to  pass  myself  through  the  guards,  I  fancy." 

The  little  boat  instantly  shot  up  into  the  wind,  the 
sail  flapped,  the  sheet  was  hauled  over,  and  the  cutter 
drifted  gently  down  to  the  pier  head.  The  nimble 
Arabs  sprang  out  and  secured  it,  temporarily  taking  a 
turn  with  a  rope  round  one  of  the  posts.  A  French 
sentry  on  the  wharf  challenged  them.  It  was  Macart- 
ney who  replied :  — 

"A  boat  from  the  French  fleet  at  Aboukir  with 
messages  for  General  Bonaparte.  Here  is  our  pass." 

The  sentry  called  the  sergeant  of  the  guard,  and  the 
two  spelled  out  the  wording  of  the  document. 

"You  may  land  your  messengers,  citizen,"  he  said, 
drawing  back  and  saluting. 

The  hour  for  parting  had  come.  Aurore  already 
stood  on  the  wharf.  The  marquis  started  forward  to 
hand  his  granddaughter  over  the  side.  Macartney  was 
there  before  him.  He  bent  low  as  if  to  kiss  her  hand. 
The  marquis  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder. 

"For  this  time,"  he  said,  smiling,  "you  may  go  higher." 

Louise  bent  her  head,  but  Macartney  availed  himself 
to  the  full  of  the  marquis'  permission.'  He  lifted  it 
with  his  hand  and  upon  her  lips  he  kissed  her  full.  He 
stood  watching  the  three  disappear  in  the  darkness, 
listening  to  their  footfalls  upon  the  wharf  until  that 
sound,  too,  died  away  in  the  distance. 

"  Now,"  he  said  to  himself,  as  he  stepped  back  upon 
the  deck  of  the  cutter  and  signed  to  the  men  to  cast 
off,  "  for  Nelson !  " 


BOOK  V 
BONAPARTE 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

AS  ONE  GENTLEMAN  TO  ANOTHER 

BY  the  judicious  expenditure  of  his  last  gold 
piece,  the  marquis  succeeded  in  passing  the  guards 
around  the  Palace  and  in  entering  the  garden,  which, 
lighted  by  thousands  of  lamps  among  the  broad-leaved 
palms  and  other  tropical  foliage,  presented  an  enchant- 
ing picture.  It  was  crowded  with  officers,  and  ladies 
whose  chief  attraction  was  in  their  apparel  —  or  lack  of 
it !  —  who  had  attached  themselves  to  the  fortunes  of 
the  army.  The  Comtesse  Louise,  attended  by  Aurore, 
held  herself  very  straight  indeed,  looking  neither  to 
the  right  nor  to  the  left,  as  she  passed  beside  groups 
of  those  painted  beauties  of  Paris  and  elsewhere. 
Music  from  military  bands  stationed  here  and  there 
quivered  softly  in  the  warm  air  of  the  July  evening. 
And  above  all  rose  the  hum  of  busy  conversation  en- 
livened with  merry  laughter. 

Learning,  in  answer  to  his  inquiry,  that  General 
Bonaparte  had  arrived  and  was  within  the  Palace,  the 
vice-admiral  threaded  his  way,  not  without  becoming 
the  subject  of  mocking  jests,  through  the  shameless  and 
irreverent  who  crowded  the  garden  until  he  reached 
the  great  stairway.  Passing  himself  off  as  one  of  the 
guests  of  the  fete,  he  ascended  the  stairs  and  presented 

287 


288  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

himself  at  the  door  of  that  hall  of  audience  where 
the  mameluke  beys  had  from  ancient  days  adminis- 
tered justice,  but  which  was  now  given  over  to  revelry 
and  pleasure,  and  demanded  an  entrance.  There  was 
something  so  commanding  in  the  quaint  personality  of 
the  old  man,  something  so  authoritative  in  his  bearing, 
that  the  soldier  on  guard,  after  a  momentary  hesitation, 
flung  open  the  great  doors. 

The  scene  revealed,  from  one  point  of  view,  was  even 
more  magnificent  than  that  of  the  garden.  Whatever 
the  ladies  who  had  followed  the  army  had  left  behind 
them,  or  lost  en  route,  they  still  retained  the  dash  and 
brilliancy  which  had  enabled  them  to  occupy  the  posi- 
tions they  had  assumed.  The  gorgeous  uniforms  of 
the  officers,  men  of  higher  rank  as  a  rule  than  those  in 
the  garden,  almost  outshone  the  beautiful  gowns  of  the 
women.  The  band  of  the  G-arde  RSpublicain,  hidden 
in  an  alcove,  concealed  by  palms,  was  playing  a  spirited 
air  as  they  entered. 

On  a  temporary  stage  on  one  side  of  the  room  the 
ladies  of  the  corps  de  ballet,  which  Bonaparte  had 
thoughtfully  caused  to  be  included  among  the  warlike 
munitions  with  which  the  expedition  had  been  pro- 
vided, were  performing  to  the  delectation  of  those  who 
chose  to  regard  them.  The  room  was  draped  with  the 
flag  of  Egypt  and  the  brilliant  tricolor  of  France.  At 
intervals  tall  grenadiers  stood  on  guard,  for  in  so  mot- 
ley a  throng  no  one  could  tell  what  unauthorized  per- 
son or  persons  might  be  introduced  with  what  nefarious 
design  in  his  or  her  heart. 


AS  ONE  GENTLEMAN   TO   ANOTHER 

Some  of  the  Egyptians  of  the  higher  class,  including 
a  few  renegade  mamelukes  and  Turks,  lent  a  touch  of 
unusual  picturesqueness  to  the  scene.  In  their  strange 
attire  they  mingled  with  the  dancers,  staring  at  the 
passing  show ;  or,  with  eyes  that  searched  greedily, 
they  marked  the  unveiled,  the  shameless,  loveliness  of 
the  foreign  women  with  whom  they  were  surrounded. 
And  there  were  civilians,  clerks,  savants,  authors,  poets, 
painters,  chroniclers,  who  had  been  attached  to  the 
expedition.  These  exhibited  in  their  dress  the  strange 
and  fantastic  garments  of  the  Incroyables  of  the 
Revolution. 

The  shifting  scene  was  like  a  brilliant  panorama  of 
life  and  color.  It  was  Paris,  with  all  its  wickedness, 
with  all  its  beauty,  with  all  its  gayety,  transported  as 
if  by  some  necromancer's  wand  to  the  sensuous,  soul- 
witching  Orient. 

At  the  other  end  of  the  hall  the  necromancer  himself 
stood,  half  hidden  by  a  group  of  men  and  officers, 
and  women,  too,  who  surrounded  him  as  moths  axe 
attracted  to  the  candle's  blaze.  As  the  marquis,  with 
his  granddaughter  upon  his  left  arm,  his  cocked  hat 
upon  his  head,  for  he  still  wore  the  discarded  garments 
of  the  day  of  the  decapitated  ruler  —  it  was  a  point  of 
honor  with  him  not  to  recognize  any  fashion  which  had 
been  brought  in  by  the  Republicans  — stepped  forward, 
a  lackey  hastened  to  greet  him  with  a  low  bow. 

"  Whom  shall  I  announce  ?  "  he  asked  with  a  stare  of 
surprise  at  the  quaint  yet  commanding  old  figure.  As 
usual  the  marquis  had  put  on  his  best  clothes  and  wore 


290  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

all  his  orders.  He  might  have  stepped  from  the  gallery 
of  L'CEil  de  Boeuf  at  Versailles  a  decade  before. 

"  Announce  Vice-admiral  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont 
of  the  Royal  Navy  of  France,"  he  answered  calmly. 

"  But  — "  stammered  the  man,  "  we  have  no  —  " 

"  Announce  me  ! "  interrupted  the  marquis,  decisively. 

"  The  ci-dev  — "  trembled  upon  the  lips  of  the  lackey. 

The  marquis  caught  the  detested  phrase  just  in  time. 

"  Announce  me  just  as  I  told  you,"  he  said  in  a  low, 
fierce  whisper. 

"Vice-admiral  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont  of  the 
Royal  Navy  of  France  !  " 

The  marquis  was  determined  not  to  sail  under  false 
colors  in  that  assemblage.  The  lackey's  voice  was  high 
and  shrill.  It  rang  through  the  hall  above  the  laughter 
and  the  babble  of  the  crowd,  above  the  music,  above 
the  patter  of  many  footsteps.  The  astonishing  announce- 
ment petrified  everybody  into  a  momentary  silence. 
Instantly  all  eyes  were  turned  toward  the  door. 

The  marquis  did  not  quail  before  the  curious  glances 
shot  at  him.  He  held  his  five  feet  seven  inches  as 
erect  as  a  topgallant  mast ;  nor  did  his  granddaughter, 
perhaps  an  inch  taller  than  he,  standing  by  his  side, 
blench  before  the  gaze  of  the  people.  One  was  brilliant 
enough,  the  other  beautiful  enough,  to  have  attracted 
attention  had  they  been  unannounced.  The  momentary 
silence  was  broken  by  the  surge  of  the  company  toward 
the  door  where  they  stood.  At  the  same  instant  the 
intermitted  conversation  began  again  with  a  furious 
babel  of  question  and  comment. 


AS   ONE   GENTLEMAN   TO   ANOTHER  291 

By  the  marquis'  directions  Aurore  had  remained  in 
an  anteroom,  so  the  two  were  alone.  In  the  front 
rank  of  the  crowd  which  moved  toward  them  was  an 
enormous  man  with  a  great  shock  of  black  hair  and 
flashing  bright  eyes.  His  huge  bulk  was  covered  by 
the  brilliant  uniform  of  a  general  of  division.  Authori- 
tatively forcing  himself  through  the  mass  by  thrusting 
all  in  his  way  aside,  he  stopped  directly  before  the 
marquis. 

"  How  now  ?  Who  is  this  ?  "  he  cried,  in  a  thunder- 
ous voice  that  comported  well  with  his  huge  pro- 
portions. "  What  do  you  mean,  citizen,  by  announcing 
Vice-admiral  de  Vaudemont  of  the  Royal  Navy  of 
France  ?  " 

He  turned  his  fierce  gaze  toward  the  lackey,  who 
trembled  before  he  spoke. 

"Monsieur,"  said  the  marquis,  calmly,  not  a  bit 
perturbed  by  the  other's  towering  figure  and  roaring 
speech —  the  vice-admiral  could  have  faced  an  oncoming 
ship-of-the-line  without  turning  an  eyelash  —  "  do  not 
berate  your  servant.  I  am  a  vice-admiral  of  the 
Royal  Navy  of  France  and  the  Marquis  de  Vaude- 
mont besides.  I  compelled  the  man  so  to  announce 
me." 

The  other  looked  down  at  the  diminutive  figure  of 
the  marquis  and  laughed  contemptuously. 

"  You  !  "  he  said.     "  You  compelled  —  " 

"  Monsieur,"  returned  the  vice-admiral  coolly,  gently 
disengaging  his  granddaughter's  hand,  "you  wear  a 
sword.  I  take  it  that  you  know  how  to  use  it.  Cease 


292  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

your  laughter  at  once,  sir,  or  you  will  find  that  I  can 
compel  even  you  —  " 

The  burly  general  officer  lifted  his  arm  and  snapped 
his  fingers. 

"  Ho,  there  !  "  he  shouted  to  one  of  his  guards. 
"  Sergeant  of  the  guard,  arrest  this  —  " 

"  General  Kleber,"  said  a  tall,  striking-looking  man 
who  had  just  forced  his  way  through  the  crowd,  whose 
flat  nose  and  full  lips  showed  that  he  had  negro  blood 
in  his  veins. 

"  What  is  it,  Dumas  ?  " 

"General  Bonaparte's  compliments  to  you,  and  he 
wishes  you  to  bring  the  strangers  to  him  in  his  cabinet 
yonder,  at  once." 

"  Come,  then,"  said  Kleber,  roughly. 

"  Gladly,"  answered  the  vice-admiral.  "  I  came  here 
especially  to  see  that  general." 

"  Well,  you  won't  be  so  glad  after  you  have  seen  him, 
probably,"  said  Kleber,  turning  his  back  on  the  marquis. 
"  He  doesn't  like  your  kind." 

"This  way,  monsieur.  This  way,  mademoiselle," 
more  courteously  said  the  mulatto,  who  also  wore  the 
brilliant  uniform  of  a  general,  as  he  pointed  after  the 
towering  figure  of  Kleber. 

The  multitude  gave  way  before  their  advance,  al- 
though the  people  crowded  as  close  as  they  could  in 
order  to  see  the  strange  figure  made  by  the  old  man 
in  his  old-fashioned  dress,  almost  forgotten  by  that 
generation,  and  the  fresh  beauty  of  the  young  woman 
who  swept  along  by  his  side  like  a  goddess.  In  a  few 


AS  ONE  GENTLEMAN  TO   ANOTHER  293 

moments  General  Dumas,  who  was  as  polite  as  he  was 
brave,  drew  back  the  hangings  over  a  doorway  and 
motioned  them  to  enter. 

At  the  other  end  of  a  room,  by  the  side  of  a  table 
covered  with  despatches,  stood  a  little  officer,  hat  on 
head.  He  stared  at  them  intently  from  his  brilliant 
eyes,  and  when  he  realized  that  one  of  them  was  a 
woman,  he  instantly  removed  his  plumed  chapeau  and 
tossed  it  on  the  table. 

"You  were  announced,"  he  said  in  sharp,  incisive 
tones,  as  the  two  drew  near  to  him,  "as  the  Vice- 
admiral  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont  of  the  Royal  Navy 
of  France,  sir.  How  is  that  ?  " 

"  I  am  the  Vice-admiral  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont 
of  the  Royal  Navy  of  France." 

The  little  officer  snapped  his  fingers  impatiently. 

"  Sir,"  he  said,  "  what  foolish  play  of  words  is  this  ? 
There  is  no  Royal  Navy  of  France.  What  is  left  of 
it  is  there,"  pointing  toward  Aboukir,  "  under  the  flag 
of  the  Republic." 

"  I  gave  my  name,  a  title  that  has  been  borne  by  my 
fathers  for  generations,  my  rank  as  I  won  it  with  my 
sword,  as  it  was  conferred  upon  me  by  my  King.  I 
could  not  come  before  you  under  false  pretences. 
Hence  the  announcement." 

"  And  the  lady,  sir  ?  " 

"My  granddaughter,  the  Comtesse  de  Vaudemont." 

"  Mademoiselle,"  said  Bonaparte,  abruptly,  "  I  proffer 
you  my  homage." 

He  was  a  connoisseur  in  the  beauty  of  women,  as  he 


294  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

was  in  the  strength  of  men,  this  little  general,  and  his 
glance  enveloped  her  with  an  admiration  so  swift,  so 
keen,  so  manifest,  and  so  searching,  that  for  the 
moment  it  almost  disconcerted  her. 

"  La  Salle,  Eugene,  Marmont !  A  chair,  some  of  you, 
for  mademoiselle  and  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont,  her 
grandfather,  of  the  Royal  Navy  of  France." 

He  smiled  satirically  as  he  spoke. 

"  Sir,"  said  the  vice-admiral,  seating  himself  by  the 
side  of  Louise,  an  example  which  General  Bonaparte 
followed,  "  I  would  not  accept  your  hospitality,  I 
would  not  sit  with  you,  were  it  not  that  age  and  in- 
firmity and  the  fatigues  of  this  night,  past  and  to  come, 
entitle  me  to  consider  myself." 

"What,  pray,  have  been  the  fatigues  of  the  night 
past,  and  what  are  those  to  come  ?  "  asked  Bonaparte, 
curiously.  "  Why  have  you  come  here  ?  Where  have 
you  come  from  ?  What  do  you  wish  with  me  ?  Speak, 
monsieur." 

He  fired  his  questions  at  the  vice-admiral  as  rapidly 
as  discharges  from  a  battery. 

"  Monsieur,  you  are  General  Bonaparte  ?  "  he  asked. 

"lam." 

"Where  have  I  seen  you,  monsieur?"  said  the 
marquis,  somewhat  irrelevantly,  gazing  at  the  general 
intently. 

"I  have  been  asking  myself  that  question,"  said 
Bonaparte. 

"  At  Toulon  !  "  exclaimed  Louise,  suddenly. 

"  Ah,  exactly  !     You  have  a  keen  memory,  mademoi- 


AS  ONE  GENTLEMAN  TO   ANOTHER  295 

selle.  I  recall  it  now.  You  were  against  the  wall, 
our  friends,  the  sans  culottes,  were  about  to  cut  you 
down." 

"  And  you  interposed,"  exclaimed  the  marquis.  "  The 
little  officer  on  the  horse  !  Monsieur,  when  the  world 
rang  with  the  name  of  Bonaparte  I  did  not  dream  that 
you-" 

"  That  I  was  he  ?  Would  it  have  made  your  antago- 
nism any  the  less  pronounced,  my  dear  sir  ?  "  queried 
Bonaparte,  intently. 

"  Not  in  the  least,  sir.  I  allow  no  obligations  which 
I  personally  may  owe  to  bind  me  in  my  duty  to  my 
King.  I  did  promise  myself,  however,  that  after  the 
restoration  of  his  Majesty,  whom  God  protect  and 
bring  back  speedily  to  France,  I  would  see  that  your 
life  was  spared.  That  promise,  monsieur,"  said  the 
old  man,  composedly,  "  I  shall  be  ready  to  keep  should 
you  call  upon  me." 

Bonaparte  laughed. 

"  I  shall  call  upon  you  without  fail,  my  friend,  should 
the  contingency  ever  arise." 

"  And  I  shall  not  fail  you,  sir." 

"Exactly.  Now,  monsieur,"  continued  the  general, 
"your  errand?  I  would  not  seem  discourteous,  but 
time  is  pressing  and  there  is  much  to  do." 

"  General  Bonaparte,  my  party  —  " 

"  Who  is  in  your  party?  " 

"  My  granddaughter  here,  her  maid,  and  my  servant, 
were  bound  from  Genoa  to  La  Vendee  in  a  Neapolitan 
vessel.  We  were  captured  by  Le  Tonnant,  Captain  Jean 


296  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

Garron.  Instead  of  reporting  the  capture  to  you,  sir, 
he  detained  us  aboard  his  ship  and  said  nothing." 

"  General  La  Salle,"  said  Bonaparte,  turning  to  a 
bright  young  officer,  "was  any  report  made  of  this 
capture  to  headquarters?" 

"  No,  General,"  answered  the  man. 

"Proceed,  monsieur." 

"  Garron,  who  had  been  an  ancient  retainer  of  my 
family,  desired  to  marry  this  young  lady." 

"  But  he  has  a  wife  in  France !  " 

"  God  pity  her  !  "  said  the  marquis. 

"Why  did  you  not  appeal  to  me? "  asked  Bonaparte. 

"We  were  not  permitted.  There  were  —  papers  — 
in  my  baggage.  They  would  —  have — incriminated — " 

"  I  see,"  said  Bonaparte,  frowning.  "  And  with  these 
papers  in  his  possession  Garron  thought  to  force  your 
consent?  The  scoundrel !  How  did  you  get  here?  " 

"  There  was  an  English  prisoner  on  the  ship.  You 
recall  the  frigate  captured  just  after  you  left  Malta  ?  " 

Bonaparte  nodded. 

"  Her  captain  was  wounded  and  brought  aboard  Le 
Tonnant.  Do  you  remember,  monsieur,  that  night  in 
Toulon  there  was  a  young  officer  with  us?" 

"  Yes." 

"  That  was  he.  He  loves  my  granddaughter  and  I 
have  at  last  consented  to  his  suit." 

"  He  is  a  fortunate  man,  mademoiselle,"  interrupted 
Bonaparte,  smiling  kindly  at  Louise,  who  found  herself 
blushing  deeply  under  the  ardent  gaze  of  the  young 
Frenchmen  crowding  round  them. 


AS  ONE  GENTLEMAN  TO  ANOTHER       297 

"My  servant  betrayed  me  —  as  I  supposed  —  and 
wormed  himself  into  the  confidence  of  Garron,"  con- 
tinued the  marquis.  "  We  were  in  the  cabin  together 
to-night,  a  few  hours  since,  and  Brebceuf —  " 

"Who  is  he?" 

"The  servant  I  speak  of,  monsieur.  He  seized 
Garron,  forced  him  to  place  a  boat,  which  he  had  sum- 
moned alongside,  at  our  disposal,  and  we  came  here." 

"The  English  captain?" 

"  Came  as  far  as  the  wharf." 

"And  then?" 

"As  he  was  armed,  he  forced  us  to  leave  the  boat 
and  went  away  in  her  himself." 

"Where?" 

"To  seek  Admiral  Nelson  and  the  English." 

"  Ha  !  "  said  Bonaparte,  sharply. 

"  Pardon,  sir,"  interrupted  another  officer. 

"What  is  it,  Beauharnais?  "  asked  Bonaparte,  im- 
patiently. 

"  Some  papers  came  from  Captain  Garron  this  after, 
noon  addressed  to  you  and  marked  urgent." 

"  Where  are  they  ?  " 

"  I  laid  them  on  your  desk,  General.  Here  they  are, 
sir,"  said  the  young  man,  after  rummaging  a  moment 
among  the  papers  on  the  desk. 

The  vice-admiral  started  as  he  recognized  the  packet. 
He  thought  swiftly  a  moment.  Should  he  endeavor 
to  prevent  the  general  from  reading  the  papers? 
Bonaparte  gave  him  no  time  to  act.  He  broke  the 
seal,  tore  off  the  wrapper  hastily,  and  examined  the 


298  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

documents  enclosed.  He  read  with  incredible  swift- 
ness and  soon  mastered  the  contents  of  the  papers. 
When  he  had  finished  he  looked  keenly  at  the  marquis. 

"  A  conspirator,  a  royalist,  a  rebel,  —  La  Vendee !  " 
he  muttered,  frowning.  "Is  this  true,  monsieur?" 

"Sir,  I  believe  it  to  be." 

"  And  you  come  here,  here  in  my  presence,  sir,"  said 
Bonaparte,  harshly,  striking  the  table  furiously  as  he 
spoke,  "  and  admit  it !  "Pis  past  belief !  " 

"  Monsieur,"  said  the  marquis,  "  that  I  have  put  my 
head  in  the  lion's  mouth  I  am  fully  aware.  You  can 
do  no  less  than  decree  my  death.  I  am  ready.  I  have, 
however,  information  of  such  grave  importance  to  com- 
municate to  you  concerning  Garron  that  I  venture  to 
hope  you  will  not  neglect  the  appeal  of  a  gentleman  in 
behalf  of  his  granddaughter,  and  perhaps  for  his  grand- 
son as  well." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

CAPTAIN  HONORE'S  CONFESSION 

AT  this  moment  Colonel  Marmont  stepped  forward 
from  the  door  which  he  had  been  guarding. 

"  General,"  he  said,  saluting,  "  there  is  a  young  officer 
of  your  guard  outside  who  desires  to  see  you  upon 
urgent  business." 

"Who  is  it?" 

"Captain  Honore,  sir." 

"Ah!"  said  the  general.  "Bid  him  wait  outside  a 
moment,  Marmont.  If  I  read  these  papers  aright,  sir," 
continued  Bonaparte,  turning  to  the  marquis,  "  this  will 
be  your  grandson  who  is  mentioned  therein  as  engaged 
in  a  conspiracy  to  abduct  me." 

"  I  fear  so,"  answered  the  marquis,  while  the  officers 
of  the  staff  started  in  surprise. 

"  We  shall  have  a  family  reunion,  hey,  monsieur  ? 
He  comes  just  in  time.  Was  this  a  prearranged  —  " 

"  Sir ! "  interrupted  the  marquis,  hastily.  "  He  does 
not  know  that  we  are  within  three  thousand  miles  of 
him.  Tis  fate,  sir." 

"Happy  or  otherwise,"  said  Bonaparte;  "we  shall 
see.  Meanwhile,  your  paper." 

"  Some  one  else,"  returned  the  marquis,  slowly, 
"might  exact  a  promise."  He  looked  keenly  at  the 

299 


300  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

general.  "I  shall  not  do  so,  sir.  I  appeal  to  your 
honor  as  a  soldier  and  a  gentleman." 

Without  hesitation  he  handed  the  paper  which 
Macartney  had  signed  to  the  little  officer. 

"  A  traitor!  "  exclaimed  Bonaparte,  rising  and  crush- 
ing the  paper  in  his  hand  after  he  had  read  it.  "I 
shall  deal  with  him.  Monsieur,  you  have  appealed  to 
me  in  behalf  of  this  lady  and  have  trusted  me  with  the 
determination  of  her  future.  I  pledge  you  the  honor 
of  a  Frenchman  and  of  a  soldier  that  her  protection 
will  be  my  pleasure ;  she  shall  be  as  sacred  as  my  sister." 

"And  my  grandson,  monsieur?'' 

"As  to  that,  wait!  Will  you  withdraw  with  your 
granddaughter  into  the  anteroom  and  remember  that 
whatever  happens  you  are  to  make  no  sign,  that  you 
must  not  come  out  under  pain  of  my  displeasure  ?  " 

"  Sir,"  said  the  marquis,  "  deal  gently  with  the  lad." 

"  You  condemn  his  course?"  asked  Bonaparte. 

The  old  man  was  honest.  He  could  plead  for  his 
grandson ;  he  could  not  betray  his  cause. 

"  Would  that  I  could  say  so,  monsieur,"  he  an- 
swered bravely,  "  but  in  the  service  of  the  King  —  " 

"Enough!  You  will  retire  there.  Marmont,  admit 
Captain  Honore." 

A  young  man,  clad  in  the  gorgeous  uniform  of  the 
guard,  stepped  through  the  open  door,  walked  rapidly 
up  the  room,  clicked  his  heels  together  before  his 
general,  and  saluted.  His  resemblance  to  his  sister 
was  so  marked  that  everybody  in  the  room  started  with 
surprise. 


CAPTAIN  HONOKE'S  CONFESSION  301 

"  You  wish  to  see  me,  Captain  Honore  ?  " 

"  Yes,  General,  but  —  "  he  looked  about  him  — 
"alone." 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Bonaparte,  "you  will  withdraw 
to  the  other  end  of  the  room." 

"  But,  General,  is  it  safe  ?  "  said  Kleber,  while  Eug&ne 
de  Beauharnais,  a  stepson  of  Bonaparte,  presuming  on 
his  relationship,  bent  lower  and  whispered :  — 

"  You  know,  sir,  what  has  just  been  disclosed. 
Would  it  not  be  best  at  least  for  me  —  " 

"  All  of  you,  go !  "  said  Bonaparte,  imperiously.  "  I 
trust  myself  entirely  to  brave  young  Captain  Honore." 

"  And  you  may  well  do  so,  sir,"  said  Honore,  eagerly. 

"Why  should  I  not  trust  you?"  asked  Bonaparte, 
looking  intently  at  the  young  man.  "  At  the  storming 
of  Alexandria  you  were  by  my  side ;  I  have  not  for- 
gotten that  Turk  who  lunged  at  me  just  before  you 
cut  him  down.  It  was  you,  was  it  not,  who  threw 
yourself  in  front  of  me  when  the  wavering  square 
almost  broke  before  the  charge  of  the  mamelukes  at 
the  battle  of  the  Pyramids  ?  I  owe  you  much,  sir." 

"You  have  paid  me  in  full,  sir,"  cried  the  young 
officer,  "my  commission  as  captain  — " 

"You  will  go  higher,  Captain  Honore,  I  predict." 

"No,  General." 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  Because  I  am  come  to  —  " 

"To  what?     Out  with  it!" 

"  To  resign  my  commission  and  surrender  myself  into 
your  hands." 


302  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

"  Ha  !  "  said  Bonaparte.     "  And  why  ?  " 

"  Sir,  I  am  the  Comte  Honore  de  Vaudemont.  My 
father  was  killed  in  the  Terror  —  " 

"  I  had  no  hand  in  that." 

"No.  My  grandfather  is,  or  was,  rather,  a  vice- 
admiral  in  the  ancient  Royal  Navy  of  France.  At 
present  he  is  engaged  in  fomenting  rebellion  against 
the  Republic  in  La  Vendee." 

"  Is  this  true  ?  " 

"  On  my  honor,  sir." 

"Proceed." 

"  I  was  an  officer  in  the  Austrian  army.  Boy  as  I 
was,  sir,  I  fought  against  you  at  Arcola,  at  Castiglione, 
at  Rivoli,  at  —  in  short,  wherever  I  could." 

"  You  know  how  I  can  fight,  then  ?  " 

"I  do,  General." 

"  Go  on." 

"  Having  resigned  my  commission  after  the  Peace  of 
Campo  Formio,  I  found  myself  without  employment." 

"  What  did  you  then  ?  " 

"  When  I  heard  rumors  of  this  expedition,  I  sought 
a  commission  in  your  army,  sir." 

"  Had  you  tired  of  fighting  against  me  —  the 
Republic,  that  is  ?  " 

"Not  at  that  time,  sir." 

"  Why  did  you  enter  our  service,  then  ?  " 

"  To  —  to  —  kidnap  you,  General.  You  were  the 
only  obstacle  between  the  King  and  France.  I  would 
do  his  Majesty,  and  France  as  well,  a  service  by  re- 
moving you." 


CAPTAIN  HONOBE'S  CONFESSION  303 

"Well?" 

"  That  is  all,  sir." 

"  And  have  you  abandoned  that  design  ?  " 

"  I  have." 

"Why?" 

"General,  I  did  not  know  you — before." 

"  And  now  ?  " 

"  I  come  to  confess,  to  place  myself  in  your  hands. 
I  could  not  accept  your  promotion  or  remain  longer 
in  your  army  without  telling  you." 

"  Why,  again  ?  " 

The  general's  eyes  searched  the  young  man  as  if  he 
would  wrest  from  his  officer  the  most  secret  thought 
of  his  heart  even. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  answered  Captain  Honore,  sus- 
taining the  intent  and  penetrating  scrutiny  of  his 
captain  with  as  much  firmness  as  he  could  muster.  "  I 
cannot  help  it.  I  believe  that  the  greatness  of  France 
lies  with  you.  Her  destiny  is  in  your  hands.  At 
Toulon,  on  the  ship,  here  in  Egypt,  I  have  watched 
you.  We  of  the  old  nobility  have  thought  of  you 
almost  as  Antichrist.  We  were  wrong.  The  past 
is  gone,  sir.  You  are  the  future.  As  between  the 
King  —  may  God  forgive  me !  —  and  yourself,  I  have 
chosen  —  " 

The  young  man,  who  had  spoken  with  all  the  fire 
and  enthusiasm  of  his  day  and  nation,  hesitated,  re- 
luctant yet  insistent  to  say  the  final  word. 

"  Which  ?  "  asked  his  general,  imperiously. 

"  You  !     If,  after  what  I  have  told  you,  you  think 


304  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

me  worthy  of  any  trust  or  confidence,  if  I  may  still 
serve  in  your  army  —  as  a  volunteer,  monsieur  —  in 
any  capacity  —  I  beg  you  to  command  me." 

"  Who  were  your  confederates  in  the  plot  ?  " 

"  That,  sir,  I  implore  you  not  to  ask.  I  cannot  tell. 
For  myself,  I  have  abandoned  it,  and  my  withdrawal 
renders  the  whole  attempt  null  and  void.  You  will 
hear  no  more  of  it.  I  have  placed  myself  unreservedly 
at  your  disposal." 

"  Why  do  you  do  this  ?  " 

"I  said  I  do  not  know.  I  cannot  help  it.  I  love 
you,"  said  the  romantic  boy  —  he  was  scarcely  twenty- 
one —"  that's  all. " 

"  Your  associates,"  said  Bonaparte,  reading  from  the 
paper,  "were  Barbaloux,  De  Charretein,  D'Esterrette, 
and  that  Italian  Salvatore." 

"  Mon  Dieu!  General,  how  do  you  know  these 
names  ? "  exclaimed  Captain  Honore,  profoundly  sur- 
prised, and  terrified  as  well. 

"  I  know  everything,  my  young  friend." 

"  Are  you  a  god,  then  ?  " 

"  'Tis  very  simple.     Your  grandfather  told  me." 

"  My  grandfather  I  Impossible,  sir  !  He  is  in  La 
Vendee  I " 

"Not  so." 

"  Where  is  he,  then  ?  " 

Bonaparte  stepped  to  the  side  of  the  room,  seized  the 
heavy  curtain  depending  before  the  door,  and  threw 
it  quickly  back. 

"  There  !  "  he  cried,  pointing  to  the  recess. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  COMTE   CHANGES   HIS   ALLEGIANCE 

CAPTAIN  HONORS  stood  as  if  rooted  to  the  ground. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  said,  "  what  has  happened  ?  I 
thought  you  were  in  La  Vendee." 

"And  would  God  I  had  been  there,  sir,"  answered 
the  marquis,  coldly,  stepping  forth  as  he  spoke,  "  ere  I 
heard  one  bearing  my  name  declare  himself  a  traitor  to 
his  King." 

For  a  moment  Comte  Honore  hung  his  head  before 
the  fiery  words  of  his  grandfather.  Then  he  faced  the 
old  man.  He,  too,  was  a  de  Vaudemont. 

"  Sir,"  he  said,  "  believe  me  —  " 

"  Not  another  word  !  "  said  his  grandfather.  "  Not 
in  three  hundred  years  have  the  de  Vaudemonts  failed 
in  devotion  to  the  throne." 

"  With  respect  to  your  age,  sir,  and  the  ties  of  blood 
and  affection  by  which  I  am  bound  to  you,  I  will  be 
heard  ! " 

"  Give  the  lad  a  chance,  monsieur,"  said  Bonaparte, 
coolly  helping  himself  to  a  pinch  of  snuff. 

"Not  from  any  motives  of  self-interest,"  continued 
the  young  comte,  "  nor  for  any  other  reason  but  because 
I  love  my  country,  sir,  have  I  attached  myself  to  the 
fortunes  of  General  Bonaparte.  Sir,  had  you  seen  him 

z  305 


306  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

as  I  have  seen  him,  had  you  known  him  as  foeman  and 
as  friend,  you  would  realize  that  he  is  the  future  of 
France.  As  such,  sir,  I  salute  him.  It  is  he  who  has 
saved  our  distracted  country.  He  will  make  it  in  the 
future,  as  it  has  been  in  the  past,  great  among  the 
nations  of  the  world.  And  as  a  king  I  offer  him  my 
sword,  my  heart.  All  that  I  have  is  his.  He  is  the 
King!1' 

Bonaparte  flushed  and  swept  a  glance  around  the 
room.  Dumas  leaned  against  the  door  with  a  smile 
upon  his  face,  half  humorous,  half  pitying  ;  the  burly 
Kleber  stood  with  his  hands  clasped  behind  him,  his 
head  bent  forward,  frowning.  The  others,  younger 
men,  were  watching  the  dialogue  between  the  marquis 
and  the  comte  with  the  greatest  attention. 

The  King  of  France  ?  Nay,  that  were  too  narrow 
a  confine  to  limit  the  little  man  whose  shadow  even 
then  loomed  so  large  upon  the  horizon  of  civilization. 
The  King  ?  Bonaparte  smiled.  The  time  was  not  yet. 
He  was  not  to  be  swept  from  the  clear  purposes  of  his 
vision  by  the  enthusiasm  of  a  romantic  boy. 

"  Vive  la  RSpublique ! "  he  said,  throwing  back  his 
head.  "  I  am  the  servant,  not  the  master,  of  France, 
citizens  and  friends  !  " 

And  there  was  no  one  to  tell  them  that  the  servant 
was  above  the  master.  Instantly  the  room  rang  with 
cries.  Like  Caesar  on  the  Lupercal,  their  hero  had 
refused  a  crown  ! 

"  Monsieur,"  said  the  marquis,  turning  to  Bonaparte, 
"what  is  this  Republic  to  which  you  have  engaged 


THE  COMTE  CHANGES   HIS   ALUEGIANCE  307 

yourself?  To  which  this  foolish  boy  has  given  his 
allegiance  ?  I  am  an  old  man.  I  have  lived  long  and 
seen  much.  I  have  done  some  service  to  the  state. 
My  words  are  not  without  weight  in  the  councils  of 
the  King.  Give  over  this  mad,  this  impossible  scheme  ! 
Restore  the  ancient  monarchy.  You  have  the  power. 
In  addition  to  the  consciousness  of  having  done  right, 
of  having  reestablished  your  rightful  King  upon  his 
throne,  you  can  name  any  reward.  You  and  all  of 
you  !  I  promise  it  on  the  faith  of  a  gentleman.  You 
shall  be  a  constable  of  France,  the  King  will  ennoble 
you  —  what  you  will." 

"  Sir,"  said  Bonaparte,  smiling,  "  my  patent  of  nobility 
dates  from  the  battle  of  Montenotte.  What !  Shall  we 
undo  the  terrible  work  of  the  past  five  years  to  bring 
back  a  King  of  shreds  and  patches  ?  Bah  !  If  he 
wants  a  kingdom,  let  him  take  one.  We  recognize  no 
rights  but  the  will  of  the  people  and  the  right  of  the 
sword  !  " 

Again  the  room  rang  with  cheers.  When  the  tumult 
had  subsided  the  marquis  began  again. 

"I  made  you  an  offer,  sir,  as  one  gentleman  to 
another.  You  please  me,"  he  continued.  "  I  owe  you 
much.  When  the  day  comes  call  upon  me.  I  shall 
not  be  ungrateful." 

"  Urn  I  "  said  Bonaparte.  "  We  have  not  settled 
that  other  matter  yet." 

"True,"  said  the  vice-admiral.  "I  had  forgotten 
that.  May  I  ask  what  you  propose  to  do  with  my  — 
that  young  man  yonder  ?  " 


THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Your  grandson  ?  " 

"  Grandson  no  longer." 

"  But  my  brother  still  !  "  cried  Louise,  gliding  past 
him  and  taking  Honore's  hands  in  her  own. 

"  Bien,  mademoiselle  !  "  said  Bonaparte,  looking  ap- 
provingly yet  keenly  from  the  marquis  to  the  comtesse 
as  a  sudden  suspicion  lodged  in  his  mind.  "  Here  is 
no  collusion  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Monsieur,"  said  the  old  man,  "  you  have  just  cause 
to  doubt  the  fidelity  of  those  who  bear  the  name  of  de 
Vaudemont.  I  pardon  your  insinuation.  I  assure  you 
on  my  honor  that  no  inkling  of  my  purpose,  or  of  the 
discovery  of  the  plot  to  abduct  you,  could  possibly  have 
been  communicated  by  me  to  this  unhappy  young  man." 

"And  you,  sir?" 

"'Twas  my  conscience,  General,  brought  me  here. 
I  knew  not  that  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont  was  nearer 
than  La  Vendee." 

"I  believe  you,  Major  de  Vaudemont." 

«  Major,  sir  ?  " 

"  Must  I  repeat  myself,  Major  de  Vaudemont  ?  " 

"  Not  that  name,  General,  if  it  pleases  you,"  inter- 
rupted the  marquis. 

"  Very  well.  He  has  already  won  honor  as  Captain 
Honore.  He  shall  make  that  name  as  great  as  your 
own.  La  Salle,  will  you  make  out  a  commission  for 
Captain  Honore  as  major,  and  an  order  detaching  him 
from  my  guard  and  placing  him  on  my  personal  staff  ? 
I  trust  him,  you  see,  monsieur.  A  man  may  change 
his  allegiance—" 


THE   COMTE   CHANGES   HIS   ALLEGIANCE  309 

"  Not  such  a  man  as  I,  sir,"  said  the  old  man. 

"  Perhaps  even  you.  It  is  my  hope,  sir,  to  bring 
back  to  France  some  day  those  nobles  and  gentlemen 
who  survived  the  Terror." 

"Your  Republic  killed  my  son,"  said  the  marquis, 
gloomily. 

"  I  had  no  hand  in  that,"  answered  Bonaparte.  "  I 
was  but  a  boy  in  the  Terror.  When  I  was  able  to  do  it  I 
stopped  it.  There  shall  be  no  more  of  it  in  France." 

"  Sir,  I  am  an  old  man,  as  I  have  told  you  and  as 
you  observe.  What  you  do  with  me  matters  little. 
May  I  take  it  that  you  will  protect  my  granddaughter, 
this  young  lady  ?  " 

"  I  will  look  after  her,"  said  Honore,  quickly. 

"Not  with  my  consent,  sir,"  said  the  vice-admiral, 
coldly.  "We  have  no  relationship  with  such  as  you. 
There  may  be  an  excuse  for  General  Bonaparte  and 
these  others  —  there  is  none  for  a  de  Vaudemont.  I 
have  eaten  the  King's  bread,  I  am  the  King's  man." 

"  But  I  have  not,  and  I  am  not ! " 

"  Be  it  so.  You  have  voluntarily  cut  yourself  off 
from  me  and  mine.  I  wish  to  hear  nothing  from  you." 

"  Give  him  time,"  said  the  general  to  the  distracted 
young  officer.  "  Monsieur,  as  I  said  before,  I  pledge 
you  my  honor  for  the  safety  of  your  granddaughter. 
Mademoiselle,  you  may  trust  me." 

"  I  do,  sir,"  answered  Louise,  giving  him  her  hand, 
"  as  unreservedly  as  my  brother  loves  you." 

Bonaparte  took  her  hand,  and  bending  low  over  it 
kissed  it. 


310  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  You  are  my  witnesses,  gentlemen,"  he  cried,  turning 
to  the  group  at  the  end  of  the  room,  "  this  lady  is  as 
my  own  sister." 

"And  as  to  myself,  General,"  said  the  marquis,  in- 
differently, "I  would  know  your  pleasure." 

"Sir,"  said  Bonaparte,  "I  have  sworn  fealty  and 
devotion  to  your  granddaughter  ;  from  this  hour  your 
grandson  is  one  of  my  most  trusted  officers  ;  think  you 
I  could  be  rigorous  toward  yourself  under  such  circum- 
stances ?  Go,  you  are  free  !  " 

"  Sir,"  said  the  marquis,  "  I  warn  you  that  the  first 
use  I  shall  make  of  my  freedom  will  be  to  offer  my  poor 
services  to  my  King." 

"Be  it  so.  Next  to  a  stanch  friend  I  love  a  deter- 
mined enemy.  It  would  have  been  a  pleasure  to  have 
seen  your  flag  flying  over  the  fleets  of  France.  We 
lack  a  sea  officer.  There  was  de  Suffren.  There  was 
that  mad  Scotsman,  Paul  Jones.  Here  are  you." 

The  marquis  shook  his  head. 

"  Oh,  I  did  not  mean  to  bribe  you  !  I  was  only 
thinking.  You  are  free  to  go  where  you  will,  to  abide 
here,  to  return  to  the  fleet,  to  go  back  to  Europe  at  the 
first  convenient  opportunity.  You  may  take  a  message 
from  me  to  the  man  you  call  your  Regent  if  you 
will." 

"  And  that  is  ?  " 

"  Tell  him  that  France  awaits  his  coming.  He  may 
take  it,  if  he  can,  sword  in  hand." 

"  General,"  said  the  giant  Kleber,  impulsively  run- 
ning up  to  the  little  man  and  taking  him  by  the 


THE   COMTE   CHANGES   HIS   ALLEGIANCE  311 

shoulders,  "  let  me  embrace  you  !  You  are  as  great  as 
the  universe  !  " 

"  Thank  you,  my  good  Kleber,"  said  the  general,  pat- 
ting him  on  the  shoulder  as  a  child  might  caress  a  huge 
dog.  "But  we  have  more  to  do,  gentlemen.  That 
traitor  Garron  —  " 

He  read  aloud  to  them  all  the  damning  agreement 
that  Macartney  had  signed  for  him. 

"  What  did  you  say  was  the  state  of  affairs  on  Le 
Tonnant,  monsieur  ?  "  asked  Bonaparte,  as  soon  as  the 
execrations  with  which  those  present  received  the  news 
permitted  him  to  be  heard. 

"He  is  guarded  in  his  own  cabin  by  my  man, 
Breboeuf.  He  will  be  safe  until  morning." 

"  A  rare  man  this  Brebceuf." 

"Rare  indeed,  monsieur." 

"  Too  good  to  lose,"  said  Bonaparte,  who  pulled  out 
his  watch  and  looked  at  it.  "It  is  past  two  in  the 
morning.  It  is  an  eighteen  or  twenty  mile  ride  to 
Aboukir.  Call  it  two  hours.  We  can  scarcely  start 
before  half  after  —  half  an  hour  to  get  a  boat,  that  will 
be  five  ;  half  an  hour  more  to  reach  the  flagship ;  half 
an  hour  more  for  details  and  to  allow  for  mistakes. 
Say  six  o'clock.  That  will  do.  Gentlemen,  I  ride  to 
Aboukir  to-night  !  Junot,  have  a  troop  of  light 
horse  brought  up.  Which  of  you  will  ride  with  me  ? 
I  go  to  punish  a  traitor,  to  save  the  life  of  a  brave 
man  !  " 

The  officers  crowded  around,  protesting  and  acclaim- 
ing their  willingness,  nay  their  anxiety. 


312  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Kleber,  you  and  Dumas  remain  here  in  charge.  The 
rest,  to  your  horses  !  We'll  start  from  the  Palace  gates. 
You,  monsieur  ?  " 

"  I  am  an  old  man,  General,  but  to  save  my  ancient 
servant's  life  I  would  ride  with  you  if  I  died  at  the  end 
of  the  journey." 

"  Good  !  "  said  Bonaparte.  "  And  you,  mademoi- 
selle?" 

"  I  go  with  my  grandfather." 

"  Ha,  Junot !  "  called  Bonaparte.     "  What  is  it  ?  " 

"Captain  Gerard's  troop  will  be  here  at  once,  sir," 
said  Junot,  saluting. 

"  Have  a  horse  saddled  for  mademoiselle  here." 

"  My  maid  is  in  the  anteroom  yonder,"  said  Louise, 
"she  will  go  too." 

"Another  for  the  maid,'*  ordered  Bonaparte.  "Is 
that  all  ?  " 

"  That  is  all,  sir." 

"  You  will  need  to  change  your  shoes  for  riding  boots, 
monsieur,"  continued  Bonaparte,  as  the  officers  filed  out 
of  the  room  leaving  them  alone.  "  Perhaps  you  will 
honor  me  by  —  "  He  put  out  an  exceedingly  small  and 
aristocratic-looking  foot,  of  which  he  was  justly  proud, 
"  I  think  my  own  will  fit  you." 

He  struck  a  bell  as  he  spoke  and  directed  the  attend- 
ant who  answered  it  to  provide  the  marquis  with  boots 
and  gloves. 

"  Your  courtesy  overwhelms  me,"  said  the  old  man. 
His  hand  went  into  his  bosom.  From  it  he  brought 
forth  his  snuff-box.  He  hesitated  a  moment,  opened  it, 


THE   COMTE  CHANGES   HIS   ALLEGIANCE  313 

looked  quizzically  at  Bonaparte,  who  stood  smiling  be- 
fore him. 

"  I  never  thought  to  offer  courtesies  to  a  Republican, 
but,  General  —  will  you  honor  me  ?  " 

"  'Tis  my  honor,  monsieur,"  returned  the  little  officer, 
bowing  and  taking  a  generous  pinch. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

BIDING  FOR   BREBO3UF 

PREPARATIONS  for  the  ride  were  soon  made.  The 
old  marquis  was  booted  and  gloved  and  Bonaparte 
even  procured  a  riding  skirt  for  Louise.  Before  they 
started  out  the  general  insisted  that  the  marquis  and 
his  party  should  partake  of  some  refreshments  to  enable 
them  the  better  to  sustain  the  fatigues  of  their  journey. 

"  A  soldier,"  said  the  little  man,  "  and  a  sailor,  too, 
should  eat  whenever  and  wherever  he  can.  We  have  a 
hard  ride  before  us." 

It  was  well  that  they  complied  with  his  advice,  for 
neither  one  nor  the  other  had  ever  participated  in  such 
a  desperate  gallop. 

"Time,"  said  Bonaparte,  at  starting,  "is  the  most 
valuable  thing  in  life.  The  treasures  of  the  world  are 
nothing  to  it.  Therefore  we  will  ride  fast.  If  the 
pace  be  too  swift  for  you,  monsieur,  mademoiselle,  drop 
behind  and  half  the  troop  shall  escort  you." 

"  The  faster  the  better,"  said  the  marquis,  "  there  is 
nothing  so  valuable  to  me  as  my  servant's  life." 

"  To  horse,  then  !  "  ordered  Bonaparte,  swinging  him- 
self into  the  saddle.  . 

Next  to  him  upon  his  left  side  was  the  marquis. 
Immediately  in  the  rear  came  Louise  and  her  brother, 

314 


BIDING   FOR   BRtBCEUF  315 

with  Aurore  close  behind  her  mistress.  Surrounding 
them,  La  Salle,  Junot,  Beauharnais,  and  the  other  offi- 
cers of  the  staff.  Then  to  the  rear  of  all  were  the 
troopers,  with  videttes  thrown  out  on  either  side.  The 
road  ran  along  the  shore.  The  state  of  the  tide  left  the 
sand  upon  the  beach  uncovered.  The  going  was  abso- 
lutely perfect.  They  started  off  at  a  fast  trot,  which, 
so  soon  as  they  passed  outside  the  limits  of  the  walls  of 
the  town,  was  increased  to  a  gallop. 

The  general  rode  in  silence.  No  one  spoke  save  now 
and  then  a  whispered  word  from  Honore  to  his  sister. 
The  moonlight  turned  the  sand  into  silver  and  frosted 
the  wavelets  of  the  sea,  but  they  had  neither  time  nor 
opportunity  to  mark  it  as  their  bodies  rose  and  fell  in 
the  sweeping  stride  of  the  horses  —  galloping  to  rescue 
Breboeuf. 

The  dawn  was  graying  the  desert  when  they  drew 
rein  at  the  landing  at  Aboukir.  Boats  from  the  ships 
were  already  making  their  way  to  the  shore.  Bona- 
parte flung  himself  from  his  saddle,  walked  out  on  the 
temporary  landing-stage,  hailed  the  first  boat  that  came 
near,  handed  the  marquis,  Louise  with  Aurore,  and  the 
young  comte  with  Beauharnais  and  La  Salle  into  the 
first  one,  followed  himself,  and  directing  the  rest  of 
the  staff  to  come  in  the  next  boat,  ordered  the  men  to 
row  him  direct  to  the  flagship. 

Arrived  there,  the  general  boarded  L 'Orient,  bidding 
the  others  wait  in  the  cutter.  So  soon  as  he  stood  upon 
the  deck  he  called  the  astonished  officer  and  directed 
him  to  awaken  Admiral  Brueys  and  say  to  him  that 


316  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

General  Bonaparte  had  come  aboard  and  wished  to  see 
him  immediately. 

In  a  few  moments  the  little  general,  whose  patience 
was  of  the  shortest,  was  ushered  into  the  admiral's 
cabin.  Presently  he  returned  to  the  deck,  followed  by 
the  admiral.  As  they  crossed  the  quarter-deck  to  the 
gangway  Bonaparte  cast  a  look  toward  Le  Tonnant, 
lying  close  to  the  IS  Orient,  being  in  fact  the  next  astern 
of  the  vice-admiral  in  the  long  line.  Her  crew  was 
already  stirring  about  on  the  decks. 

"  Shall  I  call  my  barge  ?  "  asked  the  admiral. 

"  No,  I  have  a  boat  here.  'Twill  save  time.  Look  I 
What  are  they  doing  at  the  yard  yonder  ?  " 

The  general  pointed  and  then  nimbly  dropped  down 
the  battens  to  the  cutter,  where  Brueys  followed  him. 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  continued  Bonaparte. 

"They  are  rigging  a  whip  on  the  yard-arm,"  said 
Brueys. 

"  For  what  purpose  ?  "  asked  Bonaparte,  watching  the 
other  vessel. 

"Possibly  for  an  execution,  sir." 

"  We  shall  be  too  late  ! "  cried  Louise,  clasping  her 
hands,  for  she  instantly  divined  what  was  about  to 
happen. 

"  Give  me  leave,  General,"  said  Brueys.  "  Give  way, 
men  !  Hard  I  The  life  of  a  brave  man  is  at  stake  ! 
A  gold  piece  for  each  of  you  if  we  reach  Le  Tonnant 
in  time." 

The  still  water  in  the  bay  curled  about  the  bows  of 
the  cutter.  The  stout  ash  oars  bent  under  the  vigorous 


HIDING   FOR   BRBBCEUF  317 

play  of  the  brawny  sailors,  as  Brueys  urged  them  to 
greater  and  greater  speed. 

"This,"  said  Bonaparte,  as  they  approached  nearer 
the  vessel,  "is  the  Marquis  de  Vaudemont." 

"  I  served  under  him  once,"  smiled  Admiral  Brueys. 

"  Would  that  you  were  under  me  still,"  said  the  old 
marquis,  indomitably. 

"  I  serve  the  Republic  now,"  answered  the  Republi- 
can sailor,  imperturbably. 

"  See  !  "  cried  Louise. 

A  man's  head  appeared  above  the  rail  of  the  ship. 
He  was  being  dragged  upon  a  grating  which  had  been 
fixed  there.  His  hands  were  bound.  Two  men  stood 
beside  him  and  hauled  him  up.  The  leaping  sun  shot 
over  the  eastern  wastes  and  the  light  of  the  morning 
fell  upon  the  man's  face.  It  was  Brebcsuf.  They 
were  close  aboard  Le  Tonnant  now. 

"  Faster  !  faster  !  "  cried  Bonaparte. 

"  Shall  we  be  in  time  ?  "  asked  the  marquis. 

"  We  must  !  " 

"  I  will  hail  the  deck  if  necessary,"  said  Brueys. 

"  No,  wait,"  said  Bonaparte,  looking  up.  "  The  noose 
is  not  adjusted  yet.  He  will  be  given  time  to  pray." 

The  cutter  was  right  under  the  bows  of  the  ship 
now.  In  another  thirty  seconds  she  swung  in  toward 
the  gangway.  Before  she  had  fairly  come  to  a  rest 
Bonaparte  sprang  at  the  battens  like  a  boy.  Brueys 
motioned  the  old  marquis,  and  he,  as  if  the  terrible 
fatigues  and  anxieties  of  the  night  were  as  nothing, 
nimbly  followed  the  general.  Then  came  the  Republi- 


318  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

can  vice-admiral  and  Louise,  Aurore  and  her  brother, 

and  the  rest. 

**#*#*# 

The  hours  that  Garron  had  spent  alone  in  his  cabin 
with  the  silent  Brebceuf  were  the  most  frightful  in  his 
history.  The  Breton  would  have  shot  him,  or,  better, 
choked  him  to  death  as  being  least  likely  to  attract 
attention,  had  not  his  master  directed  him  to  spare  the 
man's  life.  For  what  purpose  Breboeuf  did  not  divine. 
It  was  enough  that  he  had  been  told  to  do  a  certain 
thing.  He  was  one  of  those  ancient  men  who  obeyed 
absolutely,  blindly. 

At  first  Garron  thought  to  bribe  him.  He  besought 
him,  offered  him  every  inducement  which  his  brain 
could  suggest  —  money  without  stint.  The  storeroom 
in  his  cabin  was  filled  with  plunder.  He  had  not  been 
on  the  top  wave  of  the  Revolution  since  it  began  with- 
out amassing  a  vast  treasure,  which,  with  the  covetous- 
ness  and  caution  of  the  French  peasant,  he  had  carefully 
preserved. 

Old  Brebceuf  was  deaf  to  every  entreaty.  He  did 
not  even  deign  to  answer  the  man.  He  sat  there,  his 
pistol  held  carelessly  in  his  hand,  his  eyes  apparently 
closed,  looking  as  indifferent  as  if  he  had  been  alone. 
Once  Garron  thought  to  take  advantage  of  this  seeming 
carelessness.  The  instant  he  made  a  threatening  move 
he  found  himself  covered  with  the  weapon.  No  tiger 
ever  watched  its  hapless  prey  with  more  apparent  care- 
lessness, yet  with  more  real  ferocity,  than  the  silent 
Breboeuf  guarded  the  craven  Garron. 


BIDING   FOR   BBfeBCEUF  319 

The  silence  of  the  old  sailor  grated  on  the  nerves  of 
the  prisoner.  He  broke  down  completely  at  last  and 
sobbed  and  cried  and  pleaded  as  if  he  had  been  a  child. 
If  he  could  only  be  freed  from  the  terrible  espionage  of 
that  relentless  Breton  !  For  a  moment  even  1  Of 
course  Bonaparte  must  be  in  possession  of  that  paper 
by  this  time,  but  all  was  not  hopeless.  He  could  send 
his  men  to  the  yards  in  the  dark  and  make  sail.  He 
could  cut  cable  and  make  a  run  for  it.  Le  Tonnant 
was  one  of  the  fastest  ships  in  the  navy,  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  fleet.  With  the  start  that  he  might  get  in 
the  night  he  had  a  fair  chance  of  escaping.  Brueys 
could  not  weaken  his  force  by  detaching  a  squadron  to 
go  after  him. 

Out  yonder  in  the  blue  Mediterranean  were  Nelson 
and  the  English.  Salvation !  Reward  I  Here  was 
nothing  but  this  terrible  old  man.  He  studied  the 
sailor's  face  until  every  crease  upon  the  craggy  and 
weather-beaten  countenance  was  imprinted  upon  his 
mind.  He  strove  to  recall  what  he  could  of  the  man's 
characteristics.  He  appealed  to  him  in  every  possible 
way.  He  could  do  nothing,  nothing  ! 

The  dawn  that  came  stealing  through  the  cabin  win- 
dows found  him  crouching  before  the  rigid  figure  of 
the  old  sailor,  a  miserable  broken  wreck.  During  the 
long,  slow  hours  he  had  died  a  thousand  deaths. 
The  entrance  of  his  executive  officer,  who  came  in  for 
the  morning's  orders,  aroused  him  finally. 

"  My  God,  at  last  I  "  he  cried,  his  agony  extorting 
from  him  even  that  acknowledgment  of  a  power  Divine. 


820  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Have  that  man  seized  at  once  !  He  is  a  traitor  I 
He  has  betrayed  me  I  I  have  passed  such  a  night  of 
agony — "  The  man's  nerves  gave  way  again.  He 
buried  his  face  in  his  hands  and  cried  like  a  baby. 

"Your  weapon,  Brebceuf,"  said  Captain  Dupetit- 
Thouars,  approaching  him. 

Brebceuf  could  have  killed  him  and  then  himself,  but 
he  had  no  orders.  He  had  been  told  to  guard  Garron 
until  morning  and  then  wait.  He  waited.  He  handed 
his  pistol  to  Dupetit-Thouars  without  a  word.  As 
soon  as  the  sailor  was  disarmed,  Garron  staggered  to 
his  feet  and  struck  him  again  and  again  in  the  face, 
until  it  was  cut  and  bleeding. 

"  Stop  !  stop  !  "  cried  Dupetit-Thouars,  shocked  be- 
yond measure,  finally  dragging  Garron  away  by  main 
force.  "Are  you  mad  ?  " 

"  If  you  had  sat  here  with  that  iron  hell-hound  the 
night  long,  as  I  have,  you  would  be  mad,  too." 

"  What  has  he  done  ?  " 

"  He  forced  me  to  permit  the  English  prisoner,  the 
marquis,  the  women,  all  my  prisoners,  to  escape  last 
night.  They  overpowered  me  in  this  cabin.  They 
held  their  weapons  against  my  heart  and  compelled  me 
to  give  an  order  to  enable  them  to  get  off.  They  have 
gone.  It  was  this  fiend  that  did  it,  and  by  God,  he 
shall  pay  for  it !  " 

"Is  this  true?"  asked  Dupetit-Thouars,  turning  to 
Breboeuf. 

Like  everybody  on  the  ship,  he  would  not  take 
Garron's  statement  under  oath.  Breboeuf  nodded. 


HIDING   FOR   BREBCEUF  321 

"  You  shall  die,  you  shall  die  !  "  shouted  Garron. 

"  But  after  a  court-martial  ? "  suggested  Dupetit- 
Thouars. 

"  Am  I  the  captain  of  this  ship,  or  are  you  ?  "  asked 
Garron.  "He  shall  be  hanged  at  once,  sir." 

He  struck  the  bell  upon  the  table  sharply.  An 
instant  after  a  marine  appeared. 

"Summon  the  guard,"  ordered  Garron.  "Tell  the 
officer  of  the  watch  to  rig  a  whip  on  the  fore  yard-arm, 
and  be  quick  about  it !  " 

Then,  as  the  sea  soldiers  filled  the  cabin,  he  directed 
them  to  seize  and  bind  Brebceuf.  To  these  prepara- 
tions the  Breton  made  no  resistance  whatever.  His 
arms  were  bound  behind  him,  and  he  was  roughly 
hauled  from  the  cabin  to  the  deck.  Thither  he  was 
followed  by  the  crazed  Garron,  Dupetit-Thouars  vainly 
protesting. 

It  was  full  morning  now.  Garron  glanced  across  the 
water.  He  stared  anxiously  at  the  sea  and  the  shore. 
There  was  no  evidence  that  any  message  had  arrived 
from  Alexandria  concerning  him  yet.  Perhaps  Bona- 
parte had  not  returned,  perhaps  the  marquis  had  not 
been  able  to  see  him.  He  might  still  have  a  few  hours 
of  respite.  That  dash  to  sea  would  be  infinitely  more 
hazardous  in  open  daylight  than  at  night.  Still  it 
would  be  his  only  chance.  He  would  try  it.  But 
first  he  would  hang  this  man.  The  animosity  which 
he  had  cherished  toward  the  family  of  the  marquis  was 
now  centred  upon  Breboeuf. 

The   preparations   were    simple   and   were   speedily 


322  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

made.  Garron  did  not  even  go  through  the  formality 
of  calling  all  hands.  By  his  directions  two  of  the 
sailors  were  ordered  to  drag  Breboeuf  to  the  grating 
which  had  been  rigged  on  the  rail.  A  noose  had  been 
cast  on  the  end  of  the  whip  depending  from  the  star- 
board fore  yard-arm.  It  was  passed  around  Breboeuf's 
neck.  Garron  himself  gave  instructions  for  the  watch 
to  tail  on  to  the  fall  which  had  been  led  through  a 
snatch  block  on  the  deck. 

There  was  murmuring  and  rebellion  among  the  crew, 
but  they  were  unarmed.  The  marines  were  drawn  up 
upon  the  quarter-deck,  their  pieces  loaded.  There 
was  no  doubt  that  they  would  fire  if  Garron  gave  the 
order.  Proverbial  hatred  between  sailors  and  marines 
was  as  strong  in  the  French  as  in  any  other  navy.  Be- 
sides, no  one  cared  especially  for  Breboeuf.  He  had  been 
in  constant  attendance  upon  Garron  and  had  not  made 
any  friends  among  the  crew.  Indeed  the  unpopularity 
of  the  captain  was  in  a  measure  shared  by  his  servant. 

Every  man  holding  the  fall  of  the  tackle  knew  that 
there  had  been  no  court-martial,  that  the  law  would  not 
sanction  this  summary  execution,  but  it  was  none  of 
their  affair.  Under  the  circumstances  they  had  noth- 
ing to  do  but  obey  orders.  Another  moment  would 
have  seen  the  Breton  run  up  to  the  yard-arm.  Just  as 
Garron  was  about  to  give  the  signal  Breboeuf  broke 
the  silence. 

"  A  priest  !  "  he  cried. 

"  There  are  no  priests  in  the  Republic ! "  said 
Garron,  brutally. 


HIDING   FOR   BK&BCEUF  323 

"  A  prayer  !  "  entreated  the  Breton. 

"  Pray  yourself,  curse  you  !  "  said  the  captain.  "  Pick 
up  that  rope  !  "  he  shouted  to  the  men. 

They  had  heard  Breboeuf  s  appeal  and  had  instinc- 
tively relaxed  their  hold  upon  it. 

"  Give  him  time  for  a  word,  Captain  Garron,"  said 
D  upetit-Thouars. 

"  Not  another  second  !     Seize  the  fall !     Set  taut !  " 

The  words,  "  Sway  away  !  "  trembled  on  his  lips,  as 
the  reluctant  men  took  up  the  slack  of  the  rope,  when 
through  the  crowd  at  the  gangway  there  burst  a  small 
but  tremendous  figure. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

"  ALAS   FOB  THE  KING  !  " 

"  STOP  !  "  he  cried,  in  a  voice  of  authority  which 
could  not  be  mistaken. 

"  Bonaparte ! "  gasped  Garron,  blanching  with 
terror. 

"  Release  that  man  ! "  cried  the  little  general. 
"  Instantly  !  "  He  stamped  his  foot  upon  the  deck. 
"  Unbind  him  I  How  dare  you  ?  " 

The  men  before  him  fairly  shrank  back  and  made 
room  for  him.  They  recognized  him  at  once.  Bona- 
parte turned  to  Garron.  The  sailor  was  twice  as  big  as 
the  general.  Bonaparte  seized  him  by  the  shoulder 
and  shook  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  rat. 

"  You  dog  !"  he  cried.  "  You  infamous  traitor !  You 
would  sell  the  Republic  to  the  English  !  " 

By  this  time  others  from  the  boat  had  come  aboard. 
The  officers  on  deck  crowded  aft.  As  soon  as  he  was 
released  Breboeuf  fell  at  the  feet  of  the  marquis.  The 
old  man  lifted  him  up. 

"  Not  there,"  he  said,  "  but  here  !  "  opening  his  arms 
and  embracing  him. 

As  he  released  him  the  eyes  of  the  Breton  fell  upon 
Comte  Honore.  With  a  glad  cry  he  ran  toward  the 
young  man,  who  greeted  him  in  the  same  way.  Even 

324 


"ALAS   FOR    THE   KING!"  325 

Louise  gave   him  both   her   hands  and  smiled  at  him 
while  he  kissed  them. 

"  Saved  !  "  gasped  the  old  sailor. 

"Yes,  thanks  to  you,  my  good  Breboeuf,"  said 
Louise. 

"  And  to  General  Bonaparte,"  said  Comte  Honore. 

"  Garron,"  said  Bonaparte,  having  conferred  a  few 
moments  with  Brueys,  "  that  paper  ?  " 

"  It's  a  lie,  it's  a  lie  !  "  screamed  Garron. 

"I  swear  to  you  that  I  heard  him  bargain  for  it," 
said  the  marquis. 

"  And  I,  too,"  said  Louise. 

Bonaparte  looked  at  Brebosuf.  The  Breton  nodded 
his  head. 

"  Citizens,  this  man  offered  to  sell  you  to  the  Eng- 
lish !  "  said  Bonaparte,  turning  to  the  officers  and  rais- 
ing his  voice  so  that  the  whole  crew  could  hear.  By 
this  time  every  officer  and  man  on  the  ship  was  on 
deck.  Forgetful  of  discipline,  which  was  indeed  laxly 
administered,  they  came  crowding  aft,  and  some  of  the 
more  venturesome  even  stepped  on  the  quarter-deck.  A 
yell  of  rage  and  execration  followed  the  general's  words. 

"  Mercy  !  "  cried  Garron,  sinking  to  his  knees. 

"  That's  not  all,"  continued  Bonaparte.  "  You  knew 
that  a  plot  against  my  life  was  in  existence  six  weeks 
ago.  Why  didn't  you  declare  it  ?  " 

"  I  only  found  it  out  last  night.  I  sent  the  paper  to 
you  immediately." 

"  Another  falsehood,"  said  the  marquis.  "  My  bag- 
gage was  searched  when  I  was  captured." 


826  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

"  I  made  the  search,  General,"  said  Dupetit-Thouars. 
"  I  found  papers  there.  I  gave  them  to  Captain  Garron." 

"  He  knew  it  himself  !  "  shouted  Garron,  white  with 
fear  and  passion. 

"It  is  not  true,"  indignantly  protested  Dupetit- 
Thouars  at  once. 

"  I  was  there,"  said  the  marquis.  "  This  officer," 
pointing  to  Dupetit-Thouars,  "knew  nothing  of  the 
contents  of  the  papers." 

"  Enough  !  "  said  Bonaparte,  brusquely.  "  What 
punishment  shall  be  meted  out  to  him,  comrades  ?  " 

"  Hang  him  at  the  yard-arm  I  "  shouted  one  of  the 
officers,  instantly. 

Immediately  his  words  were  taken  up  by  the  crew  of 
seven  hundred  men  which  made  up  the  complement  of 
the  ship. 

"  Hang  him  !  " 

"  Up  with  the  traitor  !  " 

"  To  the  yard-arm  with  him  !  " 

Such  a  roar  of  passion  was  blasted  up  from  the  decks 
of  Le  Tonnant  as  seemed  to  rive  the  heavens.  Garron 
threw  himself  upon  the  deck.  He  grovelled  before  the 
stern  figure  of  the  little  general.  He  clasped  the  gen- 
eral's feet  in  his  hands. 

"  I  confess  it.  For  God's  sake,  tet  me  live  I  Don't 
hang  me  I  Protect  me !  Mademoiselle,  you  are  a 
woman  !  Speak  for  me  !  " 

"  No  one  shall  speak  for  you,"  said  Bonaparte.  "  No 
one  shall  save  you  from  the  doom  you  have  brought 
upon  yourself." 


"ALAS   FOR  THE   KING  I "  327 

"  Hang  him !  " 

"  The  whip,  the  whip  !  "  came  from  the  crowd. 

"  To  the  grating  with  him  !  " 

The  ship  was  the  scene  of  a  terrible  confusion. 

"  Back  !  "  cried  Bonaparte,  sternly.  "  We  will  not 
hang  him,"  he  cried,  in  spite  of  the  ominous  growl  of 
rage  and  hatred  that  burst  from  the  crowd.  "  He  shall 
be  shot  here  and  now  !  On  his  own  quarter-deck  ! 
Marines,  there  !  Advance  !  Are  your  pieces  loaded  ?  " 

"  Yes,  General,"  said  the  lieutenant  in  command. 

"  Captain  Dupetit-Thouars,  have  that  carrion  taken 
to  the  poop-deck." 

Shrieking,  protesting,  struggling  vainly,  Garron  was 
seized  and  dragged  to  the  poop-deck. 

"Now,  my  lieutenant,"  said  Bonaparte,  turning  to 
the  marine  officer,  "take  eight  of  your  men  up  there. 
Shoot  him  when  I  give  the  word  ! " 

In  an  instant  the  marines  appointed  had  scampered 
up  the  ladder.  They  seemed  to  relish  their  duty. 
They  ranged  themselves  on  the  starboard  side  of  the 
poop,  while  Garron  was  dragged  to  the  opposite  side. 
He  fell  in  a  helpless  huddle  to  the  deck. 

"  To  your  knees  !  "  ordered  Bonaparte,  sternly,  "  or  I 
will  have  you  bayoneted  to  death  where  you  lie  !  " 

Garron  realized  that  all  was  hopeless.  Some  of  the 
courage  which  had  deserted  him  came  back.  He  raised 
himself  on  one  knee,  resting  one  hand  upon  the  deck, 
and  glared  at  Bonaparte. 

The  general  stood  with  a  handkerchief  lifted  in  the  air. 
The  eyes  of  the  marine  officer  were  fastened  upon  him. 


328  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  When  I  drop  this  handkerchief,  monsieur,"  he  said, 
"you  will  give  the  order  to  fire." 

Garron  presented  a  terrible  picture.  Flakes  of  foam 
lay  upon  his  bloodless  lips.  His  maddened  eyes  gleamed 
with  hate  and  rage.  He  lifted  his  arm  suddenly  and 
moved  as  if  to  spring  to  a  standing  position.  What 
was  in  his  mind  no  one  knew.  Perhaps  he  meant  to 
leap  over  the  rail  and  strike  Bonaparte  where  he  stood. 
The  general  was  too  quick  for  him. 

"  Damn  the  Republic  !  "  shouted  Garron. 

"  Fire  ! "  cried  Bonaparte  coolly,  dropping  the 
handkerchief. 

The  eight  muskets  crashed  as  one.  The  body  of 
Garron  half  rose  in  the  air,  lunged  forward,  and  then 
lay  still.  They  could  see  a  ghastly  red  blood-stain 
widening  on  the  white  deck  as  the  smoke  blew  away. 

"  Justice  is  done  !  So  perish  all  traitors  to  the  Re- 
public ! "  said  Bonaparte,  quietly. 

"  Vive  la  Rtfpublique!"  came  in  a  tremendous  roar 
from  the  crew. 

•"  Now,"  cried  Bonaparte,  fiercely,  looking  round  sud- 
denly, "  what  is  the  meaning  of  this  disorder  ?  Get  back 
to  your  stations,  men.  Do  you  hear?  Is  this  the 
discipline  you  allow  in  your  fleet,  Admiral  Brueys  ?  " 

"  Sir,"  stammered  the  astonished  admiral,  "  the 
circumstances  —  " 

"  Under  no  circumstances,"  stormed  the  little  general, 
"  should  discipline  be  relaxed  !  " 

He  made  a  step  toward  the  men  in  the  gangway. 
They  fell  back  before  him  as  if  they  too  had  been  shot. 


"ALAS   FOR   THE   KING!"  329 

"  Captain  Dupetit-Thouars,"  said  Bonaparte,  "  attend 
us  in  the  cabin.  Marquis,  Admiral,"  he  added,  pointing 
aft,  himself  leading  the  way. 

"  Admiral  Brueys,"  he  said,  when  they  reached  the 
cabin  under  the  poop,  "you  will  make  out  an  order 
transferring  the  command  of  Le  Tonnant  to  Captain 
Dupetit-Thouars.  The  Marquis  de  Vaudemont — " 

He  did  not  finish  the  sentence,  for,  as  he  turned,  the 
old  marquis  slowly  sank  to  the  floor,  collapsed. 

"  Look  to  the  old  officer,"  cried  Bonaparte,  as  with  a 
faint  scream  Louise  sprang  to  the  side  of  her  grand- 
father. The  ship's  doctor,  who  was  present,  bent  over 
him. 

"  It  is  only  a  faint,"  he  said,  despatching  one  of  the 
officers  for  restoratives. 

"Ah,  yes,  the  fatigues  of  the  night.  He  is  an  old 
man.  Deal  tenderly  with  him,"  said  Bonaparte. 

"  Your  pardon,  gentlemen,"  said  the  marquis,  faintly, 
as  he  opened  his  eyes  under  the  influence  of  the  restora- 
tives which  had  been  promptly  applied,  "  I  am  a  very 
old  man." 

"  You  have  done  enough  in  the  last  twelve  hours  to 
break  a  much  younger  man,  monsieur,"  said  Bonaparte, 
kindly. 

"  Sir,"  answered  the  marquis,  lifting  himself  up  in 
Brebceuf's  arms  while  Louise  knelt  by  him  chafing  his 
hands,  "you  are  an  incomparable  man.  When  I  look 
upon  you  I  despair.  You  have  laid  me  under  great 
obligations." 

"  Discharge  them,  then,"  said  Bonaparte. 


330  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  How  can  I  ?  " 

"  By  giving  me  the  lad  here." 

"  My  word,  sir,  but  you  seem  to  have  him  already," 
said  the  marquis. 

"  Not  with  your  blessing,  sir,  and  with  your  permis- 
sion. Believe  me,  I  love  France.  I  shall  make  of  it 
the  brightest  star  in  the  firmament  of  nations.  The 
boy  —  his  fortune  shall  be  mine." 

"  Be  it  so,"  said  the  marquis,  wearily.  "  Honore,  you 
have  chosen,  not  as  I  would  have  you  choose,  but  having 
chosen,  walk  honorably  in  the  path  you  have  elected." 

"  Sir,  my  grandfather,"  faltered  Honore,  kneeling  by 
the  old  man's  side  and  kissing  his  hand. 

"  But  as  for  me,"  continued  the  marquis,  "  General 
Bonaparte,  I  am  too  old  to  change." 

"  Nor  shall  you.  Will  you  come  with  me  to  Alex- 
andria ?  Will  you  stay  here  and  prepare  to  take  pas- 
sage on  the  first  ship  for  France  ?  We'll  manage  to 
land  you  somewhere  else  if  you  would  not  go  there." 

"  Here,  if  it  please  you,"  said  the  marquis.  "  I  am  a 
sailor,  and  my  granddaughter  —  " 

"  I  was  born  on  the  sea,  General,"  said  Louise. 

"  And  Captain  Dupetit-Thouars  I  know  of  old,"  con- 
tinued the  marquis;  "  we  have  long  been  friends.  We 
have  seen  our  duties  differently,  but  there  is  something 
to  be  said  on  the  other  side,  perhaps.  We  will  accept 
his  hospitality  if  —  " 

"  It  is  freely  proffered  you,  sir.  You  are  gladly  wel- 
come to  my  ship.  I  shall  be  honored,"  said  the  gallant 
Dupetit-Thouars,  extending  his  hand. 


"ALAS   FOR   THE   KING!"  331 

"Good!  And  the  English  officer  who  escaped, 
Brueys  ?  "  asked  the  general. 

"  We  can  do  nothing  with  him  now,  I  fancy,"  said 
Admiral  Brueys.  "We  might  send  out  a  frigate." 

"  As  well  search  for  a  needle  in  a  wheat-field,"  said 
Bonaparte.  "  He  will  apprise  the  English." 

"  Well,  let  them  come,"  said  Brueys,  "  I  shall  be  glad 
to  receive  them." 

Bonaparte's  glance  happened  to  fall  upon  Louise;  a 
soft,  beautiful  flush  was  in  her  face  at  the  mention  of 
her  lover. 

"  And  you,  too,  would  be  glad  to  receive  at  least  one  of 
them,  mademoiselle  ?  "  He  laughed.  "  Well,  when  you 
have  taken  him,  Brueys,  send  him  to  me.  I  will  see  what 
can  be  done.  And  you,"  said  Bonaparte,  approaching 
the  gigantic  Breboeuf .  He  was  so  small  that  the  contrast 
between  the  two  was  laughable  —  only  no  one  laughed 
at  Bonaparte.  The  general  stood  on  his  tiptoes  and 
took  the  big  sailor  by  the  ear. 

"  Ah,  ah,  my  friend,"  he  cried,  "  I  came  at  the  very 
moment.  Will  you  serve  me  and  the  Republic?" 

Breboeuf  shook  his  head.  He  glanced  toward  the 
marquis,  toward  Louise,  toward  Honore ;  he  extended 
his  arm  and  pointed  to  the  little  group,  then  laid  his 
hand  upon  his  heart. 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Bonaparte,  in  high  good  humor, 
"  as  you  please.  You  are  a  brave  man.  Admiral 
Brueys,  I  don't  like  the  fleet  as  it  is.  The  English  can 
turn  your  flanks  if  they  come.  This  place  is  not 
defensible.  They  can  mass  upon  one  wing  of  your  line 


332  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

and  crush  it.  You  should  take  precaution  to  cover 
these  flanks.  If  that  cannot  be  done,  you  must  go  to 
Alexandria,  or  failing  that,  to  Corfu,  which  is  inacces- 
sible to  them.  The  future,  the  success  of  this  expedi- 
tion, depends  upon  you.  When  we  have  pacified  Egypt 
India  will  fall  into  our  hands  —  if  we  command  the 
sea!" 

"  General,"  said  Brueys,  "  we  cannot  get  into  Alex- 
andria with  these  heavy  ships,  and  there  are  not  yet 
enough  provisions  in  the  fleet  to  enable  us  to  go  to 
Corfu.  The  English  will  not  turn  our  flanks.  They 
would  not  dare ;  and,  anyway,  should  they  appear  we 
would  get  under  way  and  meet  them  under  sail." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Bonaparte,  shrugging  his  shoulders. 
"  Unfortunately,  I  am  no  sailor.  One  cannot  be  every- 
thing. Would  to  God  I  could  be!  What  is  your 
advice,  monsieur?" 

"  Sir,"  answered  the  marquis,  gravely,  "  I  can  give  no 
advice  to  the  enemy  of  my  King." 

"  Bah ! "  said  Bonaparte,  scornfully.  "  Well,  look  to 
it,  Brueys,  look  to  it  I  See  that  you  be  not  taken  un- 
awares. You  have  my  warning.  Good-by,  Monsieur 
de  Vaudemont.  Come,  gentlemen." 

"  Sir,"  said  Louise,  coming  forward,  "  do  not  think 
because  my  grandfather  loves  the  King  that  we  are  un- 
grateful. What  you  have  done  for  me,  for  my  brother, 
cannot  be  too  highly  estimated.  I,  too,  have  loved  the 
King.  I,  too,  am  a  de  Vaudemont.  But,  forgive  me, 
monsieur  — "  she  said,  turning  to  her  grandfather, 
"perhaps,  had  I  been  a  man,  I,  too,  would  be  willing  to 


"ALAS   FOR  THE  KING!"  333 

stand  by  my  brother's  side  and  follow  your  fortunes. 
From  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  thank  you.  I  shall 
always  pray  for  your  welfare,  for  your  happiness." 

She  took  Bonaparte's  hand  in  her  own.  Before  he 
divined  what  she  was  about  to  do,  she  lifted  it  to  her 
lips  and  kissed  it.  'Twas  an  honor  she  would  have 
paid  to  no  one  but  her  King. 

"  I  thank  you,  mademoiselle,"  said  Bonaparte,  deeply 
touched.  "  Come  back  to  France  some  day.  She  needs 
women  like  you.  Permit  me."  He  laid  his  hand  gently 
upon  her  head,  bent  it  slightly  down  to  him,  brushed 
his  lips  lightly  across  her  forehead,  and  was  gone. 

"A  wonderful  man,  a  wonderful  man!"  murmured 
the  marquis,  thoughtfully,  when  they  were  alone  again. 
"Alas,  alas,  for  the  King!" 


BOOK  YI 
NELSON 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

THE   SIGNAL  TORCH 

WHEN  Macartney  directed  Captain  Schneider  to 
head  for  the  open  sea,  after  he  left  the  marquis  and 
Louise,  he  had  not  yet  considered  where  he  should  go 
when  he  got  an  offing.  The  first  thing  for  him  to  do 
was  to  get  out  of  the  harbor.  The  cutter  was  stopped 
by  one  of  the  guard  boats  as  they  drew  out  beyond 
the  Pharos,  but  the  pass  which  had  been  extorted  from 
Garron  prevented  her  detention,  and  when  morning 
broke  the  towers  of  Alexandria  were  far  astern.  Then 
the  Irishman  set  to  work  to  consider  his  problem. 

Now  Macartney  had  no  knowledge  as  to  the  exact 
whereabouts  of  Nelson.  While  the  Mediterranean  was 
not  so  large  as  the  ocean,  it  was  sufficiently  capacious  to 
make  the  finding  of  the  admiral  an  extremely  difficult 
undertaking.  When  it  is  remembered  that  the  English 
fleet  and  the  great  French  armada  had  been  for  a  month 
practically  in  the  same  waters  without  catching  sight  of 
each  other,  the  difficulty  of  Macartney's  situation  was 
evident.  Find  Nelson  he  must,  and  at  the  very  earliest 
possible  moment.  But  how  ? 

He  knew  in  just  what  a  fever  of  anxiety  his  nervous 
little  chief  would  be  and  what  a  blessed  relief  would  be 
the  assurance  which  he  could  give  him  by  his  tidings, 
z  337 


338  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

The  necessity  for  haste  was  apparent,  for  Macartney 
had  gathered  during  his  captivity  with  the  French  that 
they  might  retire  to  Corfu,  or  Malta,  or  some  strongly 
fortified  base,  where  it  would  be  impossible  for  the 
English  to  get  at  them.  Indeed,  no  man  with  half  an 
eye  could  believe  that  Brueys  would  remain  in  his 
untenable  position  in  Aboukir  Bay.  The  discovery  of 
Garron's  treachery  would  undoubtedly  call  Bonaparte's 
attention  to  that  fact,  if  it  had  not  already  been 
v  observed  by  him,  and  the  French  might  leave  at  any 
time. 

Macartney  had  a  sailor's  pride  in  getting  to  Nelson 
as  quickly  as  possible,  but  there  was  another  reason 
which  weighed  heavily  on  his  mind  ;  and  that  was,  the 
sooner  he  found  Nelson  the  sooner  he  would  get  back 
to  Louise  de  Vaudemont.  Love  and  duty,  this  time  on 
the  same  side,  quickened  his  wits  and  stimulated  his 
imagination. 

He  strove  to  look  at  the  problem,  so  far  as  he  could, 
from  the  admiral's  point  of  view.  It  was  known  that 
Nelson  had  been  off  Alexandria  before  the  French 
arrived.  What  would  he  do  next  ?  Macartney  thought 
hard  and  deeply.  The  English  commander  would  be 
certain  that  the  French  had  gone  eastward.  If  not  to 
Egypt,  then  they  must  have  gone  to  Syria,  Asia  Minor, 
or  Constantinople. 

Nelson,  so  the  Irishman  reasoned,  would  have  swept 
northward  along  the  Syrian  coast,  swung  to  the  west- 
ward beneath  the  peninsula  of  Asia  Minor,  across  the 
^Egean,  stopping  to  ascertain  if  the  armada  had  gone 


THE   SIGNAL  TORCH  339 

northward  to  Constantinople.  Finding  they  had  not, 
he  would  probably  keep  on  across  the  Adriatic.  Cal- 
culating that  by  this  time  their  water  and  provisions 
would  be  low,  Macartney  concluded  that  the  English 
fleet  would  then  have  to  run  into  some  friendly  port 
for  the  purpose  of  replenishing  the  stores  and  filling 
the  casks. 

What  port  would  that  be  ?  Probably  not  Naples,  for 
that  would  involve  an  unnecessary  detour  and  delay. 
It  could  only  be  Syracuse.  They  would  be  certain 
that  Bonaparte  was  not  in  the  western  Mediterranean. 
Nelson  would  undoubtedly  divine  at  last  that  he  had 
passed  ahead  of  the  French  armada,  that  when  he  thought 
it  was  before  him  it  must  have  been  behind  him ;  and, 
under  such  circumstances,  he  would  come  back  to  his 
original  idea  that  Egypt  was  their  destination.  To 
Egypt  he  would  return  by  the  straightest  possible  way. 

No  one  knew  the  Mediterranean  better  than  Ma- 
cartney. He  was  able  accurately  enough  to  forecast 
the  probable  rate  of  speed  at  which  the  ships  would 
have  covered  the  distance.  He  knew  what  the  weather 
conditions  would  be  at  that  season  of  the  year,  and  what 
the  fleet  could  do.  He  knew  that  Nelson  would  drive 
the  ships  to  the  last  limit.  He  knew  about  how  long 
it  would  take  them  to  get  water  and  provisions  at 
Syracuse.  He  had  the  map  of  the  Mediterranean  in  his 
head,  and  he  could  even  lay  out  the  course  which  the 
fleet  would  pursue  in  returning  to  Alexandria. 

His  reasoning  was  brilliantly  clever.  It  showed  the 
quality  of  the  man,  for  to  have  a  mind  that  worked  like 


340  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

that  of  Nelson  was  in  that  particular  to  parallel  him. 
Having  settled  this  problem,  then,  it  only  remained  for 
him  to  place  the  cutter  where  he  could  intercept  the 
English  fleet.  The  wind  was  unfavorable  to  him,  as  it 
blew  steadily  from  the  general  direction  of  the  north- 
west. He  was  forced  to  beat  against  it.  When  he 
got  in  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  course  of  the  fleet,  he 
tacked  to  and  fro  across  an  imaginary  line  traced  from 
Syracuse  to  Alexandria. 

The  anxiety  with  which  he  scanned  the  horizon  for 
the  lift  of  a  sail  can  scarcely  be  imagined.  Through 
worthy  Captain  Schneider  he  communicated  his  hopes 
and  plans  to  the  Arabs  of  the  crew.  These  men,  who 
hated  the  French  with  the  deadly,  bitter  hatred  of  the 
conquered,  entered  into  the  spirit  of  Macartney's  search. 
Day  and  night  there  was  a  man  at  the  masthead,  with 
the  only  glass  the  boat  possessed,  sweeping  the  sea  in 
front  and  on  either  side  of  them.  Most  of  the  time 
Macartney  occupied  that  position  himself.  When 
tired  nature  forced  him  to  give  way  and  take  a  little 
rest,  volunteers  were  always  anxious  to  relieve  him. 

Four  days  sped  away  and  they  saw  nothing.  On 
the  29th  of  July,  about  quarter  to  nine  at  night,  the  cut- 
ter being  upon  the  starboard  tack,  heading  southwest, 
Macartney,  who  was  aloft,  thought  he  saw,  as  the  boat 
rose  on  a  sea,  a  glimmer  of  light  far  to  windward  of 
him.  He  brought  his  glass  to  bear  upon  it,  but  in  the 
darkness  he  could  distinguish  nothing.  He  stared  at 
it  for  a  while,  until  presently  another  light  swung  into 
view  and  then  a  third. 


THE  SIGNAL  TORCH  341 

Some  intuition  told  him  that  it  was  the  fleet  of  Nelson. 
To  bring  the  boat  about  on  the  other  tack  was  the  work 
of  a  few  moments.  The  wind  was  blowing  heavily,  and 
every  sail  that  the  cutter  could  spread  was  at  once  set. 
She  ripped  through  the  tumultuous  sea  at  a  great  pace, 
but  the  lights  were  far  away  when  they  had  been 
sighted,  and,  having  the  wind  free,  the  vessels  that  bore 
them  were  going  ahead  at  a  very  rapid  rate.  Unfor- 
tunately, as  it  turned  out,  Macartney  had  seen  only  the 
lights  of  the  three  rearmost  ships  of  the  English  fleet. 
In  spite  of  all  he  could  do  he  realized  that  he  could  not 
overhaul  them. 

It  was  maddening  ! 

There  was  a  small  cannon  in  the  cutter,  a  six-pound 
gun.  It  was  loaded  and  fired  several  times,  but  with 
the  wind  blowing  away  from  the  fleet  it  was  evident 
that  it  was  not  heard.  As  the  cutter  sat  low  in  the 
water,  neither  could  the  flash  of  the  gun  be  seen.  They 
had  come  near  enough  now  to  count  half  a  dozen  lights, 
and  Macartney  was  certain  that  it  was  the  English 
fleet.  No  other  ships  could  be  there,  sailing  in  that 
order,  in  that  number,  and  heading  that  way.  The 
French  had  stripped  their  ports  of  all  the  ships  avail- 
able for  the  armada.  The  line  of  lights  could  belong 
to  nothing  but  the  ships  of  Nelson. 

And  now  he  was  unable  to  overhaul  them  I  He  came 
to  a  desperate  resolution.  Staking  all  on  the  accuracy 
of  his  guess,  he  determined  to  resort  to  the  only  means 
at  command  for  attracting  the  attention  of  the  moving 
fleet.  The  idea  which  had  sprung  into  his  mind  in- 


342  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

volved  the  destruction  of  the  cutter.  It  was  perilous, 
in  that,  if  by  any  chance  the  ships  ahead  of  him  did  not 
belong  to  the  fleet  of  Nelson,  he  would  of  course  be 
captured,  since  he  would  be  without  power  to  run 
away  ;  or  if  no  attention  was  paid  in  spite  of  his  expe- 
dient, the  result  would  be  that  they  would  be  left  alone 
on  the  sea  in  a  small  boat,  the  only  one  the  cutter  pos- 
sessed, which  was  scarcely  large  enough  to  hold  them  all. 

Macartney  had  determined  to  resort  to  the  desperate 
expedient  of  firing  the  cutter.  He  promised  Captain 
Schneider,  to  whom  he  made  known  his  name  and  rank 
and  the  circumstances  under  which  he  had  been  cap- 
tured and  had  escaped,  that  he  should  be  reimbursed 
for  the  destruction  of  his  boat,  even  if  Macartney  had 
to  pay  him  out  of  his  own  private  funds.  By  dint  of 
hard  argument  and  moving  appeal  the  captain  at  last 
reluctantly  consented.  Like  the  Arabs,  he  too  hated 
the  French.  So  soon  as  Schneider  had  agreed  a  fire  was 
kindled  forward  of  the  mast.  The  cutter's  head  was 
laid  away  from  the  wind,  so  that  the  flame  and  smoke 
should  not  be  carried  aft,  the  one  boat  was  provisioned 
and  launched,  and  then  all  hands  crowded  into  the 
cockpit  and  waited. 

It  required  but  a  short  time  for  the  fire  to  get  a  firm 
hold  upon  the  dry  timbers  of  the  little  vessel,  and  in  a 
few  moments  a  mass  of  flame  was  roaring  up  into  the 
sky,  fanned  by  the  fierce  wind.  A  magnificent  signal- 
torch  indeed  !  Certainly  the  ships  ahead,  whose  lights 
could  be  but  faintly  distinguished  now,  could  not  fail 
to  see  that  tower  of  fire. 


THE   SIGNAL  TORCH  343 

A  fire  at  sea  is  the  most  terrible  catastrophe  that  can 
happen  to  a  ship.  The  commonest  humanity  dictates 
that  whenever  an  unusual  light  is  seen  at  night,  or  a 
pillar  of  smoke  by  day,  by  a  ship,  she  should  imme- 
diately repair  to  it  for  the  purpose  of  giving  succor. 
The  rearmost  ship  of  Nelson's  squadron  happened  to  be 
the  Culloden,  Captain  Thomas  Troubridge.  She  was 
one  of  the  most  efficient  vessels  of  that  marvellous 
group.  In  fighting  capacity  she  led  them  all.  Unfor- 
tunately, however,  she  was  a  slow  sailer,  and,  lagging 
behind  in  spite  of  the  seamanship  of  her  commander, 
she  usually  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  line. 

The  light  from  the  burning  cutter  was  seen  by  the 
fleet.  Signals  were  made  to  the  Culloden,  which  was 
nearest  to  it,  to  run  down  and  examine  it,  while  the 
course  of  the  fleet  was  slightly  altered  so  that  if  any- 
thing untoward  happened  they  would  be  at  hand  to 
support  the  Culloden.  It  seemed  hours  to  Macartney 
and  the  people  on  that  blazing  boat  before  the  black 
bows  of  the  huge  liner  came  shoving  out  of  the  dark- 
ness close  aboard.  Just  as  she  drew  near  them  the 
moor  rose  and  mingled  its  light  with  that  cast  by  the 
fire.  So  furiously  had  the  cutter  burned  that  her  crew 
had  been  driven  to  the  boat,  which  still  remained 
attached  to  the  blazing  hulk.  The  Culloden,  beautifully 
handled,  rounded  to  a  half  cable's  length  to  windward 
of  the  cutter  and  hailed.  With  what  joy  Macartney 
recognized  an  English  voice  can  easily  be  imagined. 

"  Cutter  ahoy  !  "  rang  over  the  water.  "  What  boat 
is  that?  " 


344  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

"It's  Macartney  of  the  Inconstant  with  news  for 
Admiral  Nelson  !  " 

"  Ay,  ay.     Shall  we  send  a  boat  for  you?  " 

"No.     We're  coming  aboard." 

In  a  few  moments  the  Arabs  brought  the  cutter's  boat 
to  the  starboard  gangway  of  the  Culloden.  Macartney 
leaped  up  the  battens  like  a  boy.  Troubridge  him- 
self stood  on  the  deck  and  eagerly  grasped  him  by 
the  hand.  The  two  were  old  shipmates  and  old 
friends. 

"  Macartney  !  "  he  cried,  "  Great  God,  how  did  you 
get  here  ?  Where  is  the  Inconstant  f  Do  you  know 
anything  about  the  French?" 

The  last  question  was  the  most  important. 

"The  French  are  in  Aboukir  Bay." 

"  How  many  ?  " 

"Thirteen  sail-of-the-line." 

"  Praised  be  God  !  "  exclaimed  Troubridge.  "  Are 
there  any  more  of  you?"  he  added,  looking  at  the 
Arabs  and  Schneider,  who  had  come  on  deck. 

"That's  all." 

"  And  the  cutter  ?  " 

"She's  doomed." 

"Mr.  Griffiths,  fill  away,"  said  Troubridge  to  the 
officer  of  the  watch.  "  Send  me  the  signal  officer,  sir. 
Look  after  these  men,"  he  continued,  nodding  toward 
the  crew  of  the  cutter.  "Now,  Macartney."  He 
slipped  his  arm  within  that  of  the  Irishman  and  led 
him  aft. 

"Where's  the  Inconstant?" 


THE  SIGNAL  TORCH  345 

"  We  were  taken  on  the  28th  of  June,  off  Malta,  by 
the  French  fleet.  The  Inconstant  was  fought  until  she 
sank.  I  was  wounded." 

"  By  heavens,  Macartney,  Nelson  is  almost  crazy  for 
news  !  He  would  have  given  his  soul  for  frigates.  If 
we  had  had  them,  we  would  have  caught  the  French 
long  since." 

"  I  know,"  said  Macartney.     "  I  understand." 

"  You  sent  for  me,  sir  ?  "  said  the  midshipman  whose 
duty  was  the  making  and  answering  of  signals. 

"Yes,  Mr.  Winters.  I  want  you  to  signal  the  flag- 
ship that  the  French  are  in  Aboukir  Bay." 

"  Very  good,  sir." 

"Now  tell  me,"  said  Troubridge.  "You  were 
captured  ?  " 

"  Yes.  Kept  prisoner  on  Le  Tonnant,  one  of  the 
finest  80's  I  have  ever  seen." 

"They  build  fine  ships  and  we  take  them.  Heave 
ahead." 

"I  escaped  five  days  ago  in  yonder  cutter.  I 
reasoned  that  Nelson  would  sweep  round  Syria  and 
Asia  Minor  and  perhaps  run  into  Syracuse  for  water  j 
that  you  would  leave  about  the  26th  of  July  —  " 

"  It  was  the  25th.     You  guessed  well  1 " 

"Then  I  thought  you  would  take  the  back  track 
once  more  for  Alexandria." 

"  Your  reasoning  was  exactly  right,"  answered  Trou- 
bridge. "  It's  wonderful !  That's  just  what  we  did. 
You  are  only  one  day  out  of  your  reckoning. " 

"  Good  1 "    said   Macartney.      "  I    kept    the   cutter 


346  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

making  short  tacks  over  what  I  believed  would  be 
your  course  and  to-night  about  two  bells  I  saw  your 
lights.  I  was  heading  southwest  on  the  starboard 
tack  then,  and  although  we  came  about  at  once  and  I 
cracked  on  everything  I  had,  I  saw  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  overhaul  you.  We  banged  away  with  a  six 
pounder,  but  you  didn't  hear  us." 

"  By  Jove,  did  you  set  her  on  fire  on  a  chance  ?  " 

"I  did." 

"  Splendidly  done  !  " 

"Signal  from  the  flagship,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Winters. 
"The  admiral  directs  you  to  send  a  boat  aboard." 

"  He  will  have  to  wait  for  me,  then,"  said  Troubridge. 
"  This  old  tub  couldn't  catch  a  crab  !  " 

"  I  think  the  flagship's  hove  to,  sir,  from  the  lay  of 
her  lights,"  answered  the  midshipman. 

"  A  glass  !  "  cried  Troubridge,  reaching  out  his  hand. 
"Ay,  she's  waiting  for  us.  We'll  be  alongside  in  a 
few  moments.  What  a  relief  this  will  be  to  Nelson  !  " 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Culloden,  lumbering 
through  the  seas  in  the  moonlight,  for  the  moon  was 
now  well  clear  of  the  horizon,  rounded  to  about  half 
a  cable's  length  to  leeward  of  the  Vanguard,  which 
Macartney  easily  recognized  from  her  stumpy  jury 
foremast.  Nelson  had  never  been  able  to  take  the 
time  necessary  to  have  permanent  repairs  made  to  the 
Vanguard,  and  she  was  just  as  she  had  been  patched  up 
after  the  storm  in  the  Gulf  of  Lyons.  As  the  great 
main-yard  of  the  Culloden  was  swung  and  she  came  to 
a  pause,  a  little  figure,  seen  dimly  in  the  moonlight, 


THE  SIGNAL  TORCH  347 

standing  by  the  lee  rail  of  the  poop  of  the  Vanguard, 
shouted  in  a  voice  of  astonishing  power. 

"  Troubridge  !  " 

"  Ay,  ay,  Sir  Horatio." 

"  Did  you  say  the  French  were  in  Aboukir?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  How  did  you  find  out?  " 

"  Macartney  says  so." 

"Who?" 

"  Macartney !  "  shouted  Troubridge. 

"Where  is  he?" 

"Here  on  board." 

"  Thank  God !  "  cried  Nelson. 

In  an  instant  both  ships  rang  with  cheers. 

"  Macartney !  "  called  out  the  admiral. 

"  Yes,  Admiral,"  answered  the  Irishman. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you.  The  news  is  magnificent ! 
Are  you  well?" 

"Perfectly,  sir." 

"Come  aboard  the  Vanguard  immediately.  Trou- 
bridge, send  him  over." 

"  I  would  like  to  keep  you  with  me,"  smiled  Trou- 
bridge, directing  a  boat  to  be  called  away,  "but  of 
course  Sir  Horatio  would  never  be  happy  until  he  had 
pumped  you  dry  of  all  your  tidings." 

"Thank  you,  Troubridge.  Will  you  have  these 
Arabs  and  the  Dutchman  sent  over  also?  I  owe  them 
much." 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

THE    VANGUARD   GETS  THE   NEWS 

IN  a  few  moments  Macartney  stepped  once  more 
upon  the  deck  of  the  Vanguard.  Like  Troubridge, 
Nelson  was  waiting  for  him  at  the  gangway.  It  was  a 
different  Nelson  from  the  captain  of  the  Agamemnon 
with  whom  we  began  this  story.  Five  years  had 
passed  over  his  head,  and  he  looked  as  if  he  had  gone 
through  the  vicissitudes  of  twenty.  His  right  sleeve, 
empty  of  an  arm,  was  pinned  to  the  breast  of  his  coat. 
In  the  place  of  his  right  eye  there  was  an  empty  socket. 
He  was  thinner,  paler,  more  fragile  than  ever,  a  very 
whiff  of  a  man.  He  looked  as  if  the  wind  of  a  cannon 
shot  might  blow  him  away.  He  was  so  nervous  and 
so  excitable  that  he  could  not  stand  still.  In  the  face 
of  his  officers  and  the  ship's  company,  for  many  of  the 
men  below  had  left  their  hammocks  at  the  sound  of  the 
cheering  and  had  come  on  deck  and  joined  the  watch, 
Nelson  threw  his  arm  round  his  beloved  subordinate 
and  fairly  hugged  him. 

"What's  this  news  you  bring?"  he  cried,  scarcely 
giving  Macartney  time  to  breathe.  "  The  French,  you 
say-" 

"Are  in  Aboukir,  Sir  Horatio." 

"  I  was  there  a  month  ago." 

348 


THE    VANGUARD   GETS   THE   NEWS  349 

"  Yes,  you  got  there  two  days  ahead  of  them." 

"  What  a  misfortune  !  " 

"  Never  mind,  Admiral,  you  will  not  be  too  late  as 
it  is." 

" How  many  sail?  " 

"Thirteen  of  the  line." 

"Their  rating?" 

"One  of  120,  three  80's,  and  nine  74's." 

"And  we  have  thirteen  74's  and  a  fifty-gun  ship. 
It's  a  beautiful  match,  with  the  odds  heavily  in  their 
favor.  Just  what  we  want.  How  did  you  leave 
them?" 

"  At  anchor  in  line  ahead  when  I  took  my  departure. 
IS  Orient,  with  Brueys'  flag,  the  three  decker,  you  know, 
sir,  with  two  of  the  80's  supporting  fore  and  aft,  at  the 
centre.  They  lie  about  half  a  cable's  length  apart. 
The  line,  which  is  slightly  convex,  runs,  roughly  speak- 
ing, from  north  to  south  for  about  a  mile  and  a  half." 

"Are  they  moored?  Have  they  springs  on  their 
cables?" 

"  They  hadn't  when  I  left,  sir.  They  were  riding  to 
a  single  anchor.  They  may  not  be  there  now,  how- 
ever." 

"What!" 

"It  was  said  in  the  fleet  that  they  were  going  to 
Corfu  or  Malta,  or  perhaps  to  haul  into  Alexandria  if 
they  could." 

"  My  God  !  If  they  should  not  be  there  I  think  it 
would  kill  me  !  "  said  Nelson.  "  Macartney,  you  can- 
not know  what  this  month  has  been  to  me." 


350  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

He  passed  his  hand  over  his  brow  and  brushed  back 
that  great  shock  of  hair  already  graying  from  illness 
and  anxiety. 

"  No  one  can  know  what  I  have  suffered  !  Not  a 
frigate,  not  a  scout  boat  of  any  kind,  except  that  little 
brig  yonder  which  Hardy  has.  I  prayed  for  light 
ships.  'Want  of  frigates,*  if  I  should  die,  would  be 
found  written  on  my  heart.  Where  were  you? 
Where's  the  Inconstant,  by  the  way?" 

Not  until  he  had  mastered  every  detail  of  the  French 
position  had  he  thought  to  inquire  as  to  Macartney's 
personal  affairs,  or  even  as  to  the  condition  of  his 
frigate. 

"I  lost  the  Inconstant,  Admiral,"  said  Macartney, 
sadly.  "I  would  rather  have  lost  my  arm." 

"  I  am  sure  it  was  from  no  fault  of  yours,  Sir  Rob- 
ert," said  Nelson,  kindly. 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  Just  as  we  passed  Malta  on  the 
20th  of  June  we  ran  into  the  French  fleet  on  a  foggy, 
misty,  rainy  night.  They  were  sailing  very  irregu- 
larly. I  caught  sight  of  the  lights  of  one  division  and 
edged  down  toward  them  to  make  sure.  When  I 
found  out  what  they  were  I  bore  up  and  tried  to  get 
away,  and  in  the  rain  and  darkness  ran  slap  into  an- 
other division.  One  of  the  ships  ran  us  down  and  stove 
in  our  larboard  side  to  the  water's  edge.  I  cut  loose 
with  the  batteries  and  did  the  best  I  could,  but  even  the 
Inconstant  was  no  match  for  half  a  dozen  French  frig- 
ates with  a  liner  atop.  I  was  laid  out  by  a  shot  through 
the  shoulder  —  " 


THE   VANGUARD   GETS  THE  NEWS  351 

"  Are  you  all  right  now  ?  "  interrupted  Nelson  again. 

"  Yes,  Sir  Horatio,"  said  Macartney.  "  My  arm  is  a 
little  stiff  and  pains  me  at  times,  but  I  am  practically 
a  well  man." 

"  That's  good.     Go  on  !  " 

"I  was  taken  aboard  Le  Tonnant,  a  magnificent 
eighty-gun  ship,  the  finest  ship-of-the-line  I  ever  saw." 

"  If  they  could  only  fight  ships  as  they  build  them, 
there  might  be  some  excitement  when  we  met,"  said 
Nelson,  smiling. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir.     Well,  I  escaped  from  Le  Tonnant" 

"How?" 

"  Her  captain  is  that  same  Jean  Garron  that  led  the 
attack  upon  that  old  tower  from  which  we  rescued  the 
Marquis  de  Vaudemont." 

"And  his  granddaughter?"  added  Nelson,  smiling. 

"  Yes,  of  course,  five  years  ago.  You  remember  it, 
sir?" 

"Perfectly." 

"  They  happened  to  be  prisoners  on  the  ship,  too  —  " 

"  Ah  ! " 

"  They  had  nothing  to  do  with  my  escape,  however, 
for  so  far  as  I  am  concerned  it  was  made  very  easy 
for  me." 

"  How  was  that  ?  " 

"  Garron  is  an  infernal  scoundrel !  He  agreed  to 
surrender  Le  Tonnant  to  you  so  soon  as  you  came  in 
sight,  to  use  his  influence  to  keep  the  French  where 
they  were  —  in  short,  to  lend  you  every  possible  aid." 

"  Why  did  he  offer  to  do  that  ?  " 


352  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

"I  think  lie  does  not  stand  well  with  the  present 
French  authorities,  sir,  and  I  presume  he  knew  you 
were  going  to  catch  the  French  anyway  and  wanted  to 
get  in  on  the  winning  side." 

"  Umph  !  "  said  Nelson. 

"However,"  said  Macartney,  "I  wouldn't  count  on 
his  help." 

"Why  not?" 

"  I  rather  think  he  will  be  a  dead  man  before  you  get 
to  Aboukir." 

"Why?" 

Thereupon  Macartney  related  to  his  admiral  the 
whole  story  of  the  proposed  visit  of  the  marquis  and  his 
granddaughter  to  Bonaparte  with  the  incriminating 
paper  Garron  had  signed. 

"  What  do  you  think  the  French  general  will  do  to 
the  marquis  ?  "  queried  Nelson,  as  the  tale  was  unfolded. 

"I  don't  know.  I  hope  he  will  treat  him  well. 
Meanwhile,  you  can  imagine  how  anxious  I  am  to  get 
back." 

"  I  can  indeed,"  said  the  admiral,  kindly.  "  Tell  me 
—  if  I  may  ask  a  personal  question  —  how  go  your  own 
affairs?" 

"Well  indeed,  Admiral,  but  for  the  loss  of  the 
frigate." 

"  Never  mind  that.  You  have  brought  me  the  infor- 
mation I  wanted.  It  is  worth  a  dozen  frigates.  Has 
fortune  smiled  upon  your  suit  for  the  hand  of  the 
French  girl  ?  " 

"Yes." 


THE    VANGUARD   GETS   THE   NEWS  353 

"  I  hate  a  Frenchman  as  I  do  the  devil,"  said  Nelson. 
"I  have  but  three  principles  in  life  —  obey  orders, 
honor  the  King,  and  damn  the  French.  But  that  mar- 
quis seemed  rather  a  good  sort ;  he  knows  a  ship  and 
can  fight,  certainly.  And  his  granddaughter  —  well,  I 
can  understand  your  feelings.  By  the  way,  how  did 
your  cutter  get  on  fire  ?  " 

"I  kindled  the  fire  myself." 

"  Well,  by  Jove  ! "  whistled  Nelson.  "If  that  wasn't 
an  idea!  " 

"  I  was  morally  certain  that  it  was  the  English  fleet 
ahead  of  me  and  that  was  the  only  way  to  attract  you. 
That  reminds  me,  sir.  I  promised  Schneider  and  those 
men  in  the  cutter  that  you  would  reimburse  them  for 
the  value  of  their  boat." 

"Certainly.  Perhaps  I  can  do  better.  La  Mutine 
overhauled  a  French  gunboat  yesterday.  I  judge  she's 
a  much  better  boat  in  every  way  than  the  cutter.  I 
will  turn  the  prize  over  to  your  friend  Schneider  in  the 
morning,  with  a  sufficient  sum  of  money,  which  I  am 
sure  will  give  satisfaction.  The  news  you  have  brought 
me  is  worth  more  than  I  can  estimate.  By  the  way,  is 
he  a  pilot  for  Aboukir  ?  " 

"  No,  I  am  sorry  to  say.  He's  an  up-the-Nile  German 
trader,  who  knows  little  or  nothing  about  the  bay." 

"  Well,  I  should  hesitate  to  trust  his  Majesty's  ships 
to  a  Dutchman,  anyway.  We'll  let  him  go  in  the  morn- 
ing." 

"  Have  you  a  chart  of  the  bay,  Sir  Horatio  ?  " 

"  None." 
IA 


354  THE   TWO  CAPTAINS 

"  I  have  a  rough  map  given  me  by  Garron,  but  as  to 
the  depth  of  water  or  anything  of  that  kind,  of  course, 
I  cannot  say." 

"  Do  you  think  there  will  be  room  enough  for  us  to 
pass  around  the  head  or  get  to  the  rear  of  the  French 
line?" 

"  I  do  not  know  what  the  depth  of  the  water  will  be, 
Admiral,  as  I  said." 

"  Where  there  is  room  for  a  French  ship  to  swing, 
there  is  room  for  an  English  ship  to  pass.  Is  it  not 
so?" 

"Quite  so,  Admiral." 

"  Now,"  said  Nelson,  noticing  the  look  of  utter  weari- 
ness on  the  face  of  Macartney,  "you  are  dead  beat 
out,  aren't  you  ?  Of  course  you  will  be  my  guest  until 
I  can  do  something  for  you  in  some  way.  Go  into  that 
cabin  there.  We'll  talk  over  everything  in  the  morn- 
ing. No,  not  a  word  !  Orders  !  " 

"  Good  night,  Admiral,"  said  Macartney,  smiling  and 
turning  away. 

"  Good  night,  old  friend,"  said  Nelson,  patting  him 
on  the  shoulder.  "  You  have  made  me  the  happiest  of 
men  with  your  news.  Good  night,  God  bless  you  I  " 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

THE  BAND   OF  BROTHERS 

THE  next  day,  so  soon  as  morning  quarters  and  inspec- 
tion were  over,  the  captains  of  the  fleet  were  summoned 
to  the  flagship.  The  good  news  brought  by  Macartney, 
which  they  had  already  learned  from  the  signals  be- 
tween the  Vanguard  and  the  Culloden  during  the  night, 
was  communicated  to  them  in  detail.  All  of  them  the 
Irishman  knew;  with  most  of  them  he  had  sailed.  They 
crowded  around  him,  shaking  him  by  the  hand,  slap- 
ping him  upon  the  back  in  their  exuberant  joy  at  seeing 
him  and  the  good  tidings  he  had  brought. 

They  were  indeed  a  rare  and  unusual  set  of  men. 
There  was  Foley  of  the  Groliath,  a  man  in  whose  blood 
mingled  Welsh  and  Irish  strains,  a  splendid  and  daring 
seaman,  about  to  distinguish  himself  in  the  coming 
battle  more  highly  than  any  of  the  assembled  captains. 
By  his  side  was  Saumarez  of  the  Orion,  who  needed  only 
a  rochet  and  chimere  and  the  long  sleeves  of  a  bishop 
to  pass  for  a  prelate,  but  who  was  as  gallant  in  soul  as 
he  was  ecclesiastical  in  appearance.  There,  too,  was 
burly  Ben  Hallowell,  born  in  Canada,  commanding  the 
Swiftsure,  both  ship  and  captain  sturdy  and  strong  and 
ready  for  any  emergency.  Close  by  Nelson  were  Louis 
of  the  Minotaur,  who  was  to  be  publicly  thanked  for 

355 


356  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

his  magnificent  support  of  his  admiral  in  the  battle  ; 
Peyton  of  the  Defence,  stout  man  and  stout  ship  ;  and 
Ball  of  the  Alexander,  cool,  calm,  philosophical,  devoted, 
who  had  already  saved  the  Vanguard  and  won  Nelson's 
undying  affection. 

The  famous  Hood  family,  which  furnished  four  great 
seamen  to  the  English  Navy,  was  represented  by  Captain 
Samuel  of  the  Zealous,  a  worthy  member  of  the  group. 
America's  contribution  was  Captain  Ralph  Willett 
Miller,  the  son  of  a  New  York  Tory,  a  prime  seaman 
and  gallant  officer,  who  commanded  the  Theseus.  Cap- 
tain Westcott  of  the  Majestic  was  another  rare  char- 
acter. The  son  of  a  baker  in  Devon,  he  had  entered 
the  Navy  as  a  cabin  boy  and  had  won  his  way  to  his 
high  rank  by  sheer  merit  alone. 

The  list  was  completed  by  fighting  Ned  Berry  of  the 
Vanguard,  the  flagship  ;  daring  and  skilful  Thompson 
of  the  Leander  ;  steady-going  Gould  of  the  Audacious  ; 
the  venturesome  Darby  of  the  Bellerophon ;  Hardy  of 
the  Mutine,  the  youngest  of  the  band ;  and  Troubridge 
of  the  Oulloden,  Nelson's  dearest  friend,  his  nonpareil ! 

These  were  the  men  whom  Nelson  justly  styled  his 
"Band  of  Brothers."  The  youngest  was  twenty-nine, 
the  oldest  forty.  Yet  their  experience  in  war  had  been 
great  indeed.  They  had  fought  all  over  the  world.  Not 
a  general  action  had  taken  place  in  twenty -five  years  in 
which  some  of  them,  sometimes  several  of  them,  had 
not  participated. 

Here  was  no  body  of  roistering  sailors.  In  manners 
and  education  they  were  men  of  mark.  Saumarez  and 


THE  BAND   OF   BROTHERS  357 

Ball  were  men  of  deep  and  modest  piety.  Troubridge, 
Miller,  and  Hardy  were  men  of  the  most  refined  honor. 
Indeed,  it  is  invidious  to  particularize.  They  were  all 
men  of  unusual  qualities,  and  such  a  set  of  seamen  and 
fighters  probably  never  took  a  fleet  into  action. 

Of  the  fourteen,  thirteen  survived  the  ensuing  battle. 
All  of  them  who  lived  long  enough  greatly  distin- 
guished themselves  in  the  service  of  their  country. 
One  was  eventually  made  a  peer  of  the  realm,  four 
were  created  baronets  and  Knights  of  the  Bath,  four 
received  the  Order  of  the  Bath,  three  others  obtained 
baronetcies,  and  of  the  two  remaining,  both  died  too 
soon  to  have  received  similar  rewards  which  would  un- 
doubtedly have  fallen  to  them.  Under  such  a  band  of 
captains  their  admiral  was  to  take  his  fleet  to  battle. 
No  wonder  that  success  awaited  them. 

Whenever  the  weather  permitted  throughout  the 
long  chase  of  the  French,  they  had  been  summoned  to 
the  Vanguard.  Every  possible  contingency  which 
might  arise  had  been  discussed  between  them  over  and 
over  again.  Nelson  had  given  them  information,  which 
was  impregnated  in  the  minds  of  every  one  of  those 
men,  of  his  plans  and  the  spirit  in  which  they  were  to 
be  carried  out.  They  not  only  knew  what  to  do,  but, 
what  was  more  important,  they  knew  what  Nelson 
would  have  them  do  under  whatever  circumstances. 
He  had  shaped  and  moulded  them  without  destroying 
their  individuality.  He  had  forged  them,  welded  them 
into  a  mighty  and  intelligent  weapon  to  his  hand. 
There  was  no  necessity,  therefore,  for  any  further 


358  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

conference,  and  this  last  meeting  was  simply  to  put  his 
captains  in  possession  of  such  information  as  Macartney 
had  brought. 

Nor  did  Nelson  detain  them  long.  Time  was  too 
valuable  to  waste  in  conversation.  In  a  few  moments 
the  boats  of  the  several  captains  were  pulling  away  to 
their  respective  ships.  As  they  reached  them  the 
yards  were  swung  and  the  vessels  gathered  way  on  the 
last  day  of  their  long  and  persistent  chase  of  the  enemy. 

On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  August,  the  day  being 
bright  and  beautiful,  they  were  off  the  harbor  of  Alex- 
andria. Nelson  detached  the  Swiftsure  and  Alexander, 
which  were  to  leeward  of  the  main  fleet,  and  ordered 
them  to  run  down  toward  the  harbor  to  ascertain  if  the 
French  were  in  there,  while  with  the  rest  of  the  fleet  he 
held  his  course  to  the  eastward  for  the  Bay  of  Aboukir. 
At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  two  ships  mentioned 
had  drawn  near  enough  to  the  Pharos  to  get  a  view  of 
the  harbor.  They  signalled  that  there  were  no  ships 
save  transports  and  a  few  small  war  vessels  in  Alexan- 
dria. By  this  time  the  fleet  had  drawn  some  eight  or 
nine  miles  ahead  of  them.  The  ships  were  carrying 
sail  hard  and  going  rapidly  before  the  fresh  northwest 
breeze. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  a  set  of  signals 
was  run  up  to  the  masthead  of  the  Goliath,  but  owing 
to  the  haste  with  which  they  had  been  bent  on,  the 
toggles  of  the  flags  were  improperly  secured  and  the 
signal  could  not  be  read.  Before  it  could  be  repeated, 
however,  the  Zealous,  which  was  practically  running  a 


THE   BAND   OF   BROTHERS  359 

neck  and  neck  race  with  the  Groliath  for  the  honor  of 
leading  the  fleet,  flung  her  signals  to  the  wind,  and  the 
watchers  on  the  ships  read  the  news  that  the  French 
fleet  was  in  Aboukir. 

Across  the  low,  sandy  spit  which  forms  the  west  side 
of  the  Bay  of  Aboukir  lookouts  on  the  two  leading 
ships  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  tall  spars  of  the 
vessels  of  the  French  swinging  quietly  at  their  anchors. 
They  were  run  down  at  last !  The  quarry  they  had  so 
furiously  pursued  was  there  before  them  !  There  was 
no  useless  haste  about  the  movements  of  Nelson  now. 
The  fleet  bore  up  until  it  had  passed  the  promontory  of 
Aboukir  and  had  drawn  abreast  of  a  little  island  called 
by  the  French  L'Isle  Bequieres,  upon  which  Brueys  had 
established  a  battery  of  four  twelve  pounders  and  two 
thirteen-inch  mortars.  The  breeze  was  so  strong  that 
they  could  not  carry  their  topgallant  sails  on  the  wind. 

It  was  known  that  the  water  in  Aboukir  Bay  was 
very  shoal,  and  it  was  evident  that  this  shallow  water 
extended  a  long  distance  to  the  eastward  of  the  little 
island.  Therefore  the  English  ships  gave  it  a  wide 
berth  after  they  weathered  it  before  they  swung  to  the 
southward.  On  every  vessel  leadsmen  in  the  chains 
kept  the  commanders  informed  of  the  state  of  the 
water.  It  was  not  until  five  o'clock  that  they  deemed 
it  safe  to  head  direct  for  the  French  fleet  in  line 
parallel  to  the  shore.  Ship  after  ship  swung  round 
past  the  island,  and  in  a  pell-mell  huddle  —  for  no 
attempt  had  been  made  to  preserve  any  especial  order 
during  the  last  few  hours  of  the  chase  —  they  squared 


360  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

away  for  the  French  line,  setting  their  topgallant  sails 
as  they  did  so.  Nelson,  however,  did  not  intend  that 
the  attack  should  be  delivered  in  the  confusion  in 
which  the  varying  rates  of  speed  had  temporarily 
thrown  the  several  ships  of  the  fleet. 

Presently  the  signal  "  Prepare  for  battle  ! "  was 
given.  Instantly  could  be  heard  the  rattle  of  drums 
from  ship  to  ship  calling  the  men  to  their  quarters.  In 
a  few  moments  this  signal  was  followed  by  another. 
Everybody  in  the  fleet  knew  what  the  signal  would  be. 
Everybody  was  ready  to  obey  it.  The  order  was  to 
form  line  ahead  and  astern  of  the  Vanguard  as  most 
convenient. 

The  G-oliath  and  Zealous  were  racing  for  the  lead. 
Foley  was  quicker  than  Hood.  The  instant  the 
watchers  on  the  poop  saw  the  black  balls  of  the  rolled- 
up  flags  travelling  toward  the  masthead  of  the  Van- 
guard, without  waiting  for  the  stops  to  be  broken,  Foley, 
who  had  everything  in  readiness,  actually  flung  out  his 
studding  sails  and  swept  to  the  head  of  the  line,  wrest- 
ing by  his  adroit  seamanship  the  place  from  the  gallant 
and  scarcely  less  ready  Hood. 

Confusion  resolved  itself  into  order  with  astonishing 
quickness.  The  noble  ships  swung  into  line  with  a 
celerity  and  accuracy  that  amazed  the  beholders.  The 
Vanguard  was  well  up  with  the  advance,  but  Nelson 
very  properly  hove  to  the  flagship  and  allowed  the 
Orion,  the  Audacious,  and  the  Theseus  to  precede  him, 
thus  taking  his  position  in  the  centre  of  the  line  with 
the  Vanguard,  closely  followed  by  the  Minotaur,  the 


THE  BAND   OF  BROTHERS  361 

Defence,  the  Bellerophon,  and  the  Majestic.  Far  be- 
hind the  fleet  came  the  lumbering  Culloden,  and  farther 
away  along  the  coast  came  the  Swiftsure  and  the  Alex- 
ander. Tailing  after  the  Majestic  was  the  Leander, 
which  really  had  no  business  at  all  in  the  line  of  battle. 
If  Nelson  had  not  been  so  intent  upon  the  French  ahead 
of  him,  perhaps  he  might  have  ordered  her  out.  And 
that  would  have  broken  the  heart  of  Thompson,  and 
would  have  deprived  him  of  the  chance  to  make  a  most 
telling  contribution  to  the  winning  of  the  ensuing  battle. 

So  soon  as  the  English  line  was  formed  and  the  men 
sent  to  their  stations,  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  wait. 
As  silent  as  death  angels  the  great  black-hulled  ships 
of  the  English  fleet  swept  down  upon  the  party-colored 
line  of  their  ancient  enemy. 

At  two  o'clock  that  afternoon  a  man  on  the  cross- 
trees  of  UHeureux  —  a  sailor  engaged  in  overhauling 
some  of  the  rigging  —  happened  to  cast  his  eyes  over 
the  sand-bank  to  the  westward.  What  was  his  as- 
tonishment to  see  outlined  against  the  sloping  sun  the 
topsails  of  a  fleet  of  ships  !  He  reported  his  discovery 
to  the  deck  at  once,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  rigging 
and  mastheads  of  the  French  fleet  swarmed  with  men 
scanning  the  strangers. 

It  was  immediately  realized  that  the  twelve  sail  ap- 
proaching them,  for  the  Swiftsure  and  Alexander  were 
not  in  sight  at  the  time,  composed  the  fleet  of  Admiral 
Nelson.  That  the  French  were  surprised  by  their  ar- 
rival is  to  put  it  mildly.  Brueys  seemed  to  have  enter- 
tained the  fatuous  belief  that  the  English  were  afraid 


362  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

of  him  !  He  knew  very  well  that  in  the  matter  of  size 
and  strength  his  fleet  greatly  overmatched  Nelson's. 
IS  Orient  was  considered  more  than  capable  of  taking 
care  of  two  74' s.  The  three  80's  were  estimated  as  a 
heavy  overmatch  for  five  74's.  This  calculation  would 
leave  him  with  nine  74's  as  against  four  of  the  same 
and  one  50  to  the  English,  counting  their  number  as 
twelve ;  or  seven,  counting  their  number  as  fourteen. 
The  odds  were  so  overwhelmingly  in  his  favor  that  he 
was  sure  that  under  no  circumstances  would  Nelson 
dare  to  assume  the  offensive,  especially  as  the  French 
lookouts  only  counted  twelve  sail-of-the-line.  Brueys 
was  as  brave  as  a  lion  and  as  stupid  as  he  was  brave. 

The  Bay  of  Aboukir  is  shaped  like  a  fish-hook, 
Bequieres  Island,  now  called  Nelson's  Island,  being 
the  point  of  the  barb.  Inside  this  barb  the  French 
ships  were  anchored  in  a  line  forming  a  very  obtuse 
angle,  L 'Orient  at  the  apex.  They  were  distant  from 
one  another  about  four  hundred  feet.  Bonaparte's 
emphatic  words  concerning  the  possibility  of  his  flanks 
being  turned  had  roused  Brueys  into  some  sort  of  slug- 
gish action.  He  had  erected  the  battery  on  Bequieres 
Island  and  had  massed  some  of  his  gunboats  and  bomb 
ketches  in  the  shallow  water  inside  his  van  ship,  Le 
Gruerrier. 

As  has  been  said,  the  water  of  the  Bay  of  Aboukir  is 
very  shoal,  and  the  French  line  was  of  necessity  formed 
about  three  miles  from  the  shore  in  between  five  and  six 
fathoms  of  water.  About  a  thousand  feet  inside  the 
line  four  heavy  frigates  had  been  stationed.  Unfor- 


THE   BAND    OF   BROTHERS  363 

tunately  for  the  French,  the  best  and  most  efficient  ships 
—  outside  the  powerful  trio  which  formed  the  centre, 
IS  Orient,  120,  Le  Franklin,  80,  just  ahead  of  her,  and  Le 
Tonnant,  80,  right  astern  —  had  been  placed  in  the  rear 
division,  with  Admiral  Villeneuve  flying  his  flag  011  Le 
Gruillaume  Tell,  another  splendid  eighty-gun  ship. 

When  the  English  were  discovered,  large  detachments 
from  all  the  French  ships  were  ashore  filling  water- 
casks.  Signals  were  immediately  made  to  recall  these 
parties,  and  the  captains  of  the  French  fleet  were  sum- 
moned aboard  the  flagship.  There  was  division  and  in- 
decision in  the  council  that  ensued.  Brueys,  singularly 
enough,  in  one  of  his  conversations  with  Bonaparte 
which  has  been  preserved,  had  pointed  out  the  dis- 
advantage of  receiving  an  attack  at  anchor.  Yet  when 
the  time  came  to  put  his  remarks  in  practice  he  was  in 
a  painful  state  of  uncertainty  whether  to  remain  where 
he  was  or  get  under  way. 

For  one  thing,  he  at  first  felt  sure  that  the  English 
would  not  engage.  Then,  as  the  Alexander  and  Swift- 
sure  were  seen,  increasing  the  number  of  his  enemies  to 
fourteen,  he  began  to  have  an  idea  that  perhaps  they 
might  attack  him.  He  therefore  decided  to  get  under 
way  and  go  out  to  meet  them.  According  to  his  orders 
the  topgallant  yards  were  crossed. 

Then  Brueys  abandoned  this  idea  and  decided  to 
wait  for  them  at  anchor,  or  at  any  rate  to  allow  the 
night  to  pass  before  anything  was  done.  Certainly  the 
English  would  not  be  mad  enough  to  enter  an  un- 
known harbor  and  attack  a  superior  fleet,  say  in  the 


364  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

ratio  of  ten  to  seven,  in  a  position  of  their  own  de- 
liberate choice,  in  the  dark  ! 

It  never  seems  to  have  occurred  to  Brueys,  or  to  any 
one  in  the  French  fleet,  unless  it  was  to  the  Marquis  de 
.Vaudemont  on  Le  Tonnant,  that  night  and  day  were 
alike  to  Nelson,  and  that  he  would  attack  the  French 
fleet  as  quickly  in  the  dark  as  he  would  in  daylight. 
Realizing  at  last  that  possibly  Nelson  might  not  wait 
until  morning,  Brueys  dismissed  his  captains  and  bade 
them  prepare  for  battle  ;  to  bind  the  fleet  together  by 
running  a  heavy  hawser  from  ship  to  ship  so  that  no 
ship  could  break  through  the  line  ;  and  to  get  out 
another  anchor  to  the  southeastward,  with  springs  upon 
the  cable,  so  as  to  enable  the  several  ships  to  be  hauled 
to  windward,  thus  bringing  their  broadsides  to  bear  in 
different  directions,  as  might  be  required  should  the 
English  attack. 

It  was  not  until  after  five  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
when  the  excited  French  saw  the  masterly  manoauvring 
by  which  the  English  formed  line  out  of  apparently 
hopeless  confusion,  that  Brueys  became  convinced  that 
he  had  a  fight  upon  his  hands,  which  would  begin 
just  as  soon  as  the  English  guns  bore.  How  that 
attack  would  be  delivered,  and  on  what  part  of  the 
line  it  would  fall,  he  had  absolutely  no  means  of  as- 
certaining. 

He  was  caught !  There  was  nothing  now  to  do  but 
await  the  battle  and  then  fight  as  bravely  as  possible. 
A  few  of  the  ships  seem  to  have  obeyed  his  orders  to 
get  out  another  anchor  and  bend  springs  upon  their 


THE   BAND   OF   BROTHERS  365 

cables.  Most  of  them  did  not.  None  of  them 
thought,  or  at  least  not  any  of  them  attempted,  to 
pass  the  connecting  hawser  from  ship  to  ship.  Brueys 
was  a  man  of  ideas  which  he  never  carried  out.  He 
had  originally  determined,  when  he  anchored  at 
Aboukir,  to  fasten  the  vessels  together  by  an  iron 
cable,  but  it  had  not  been  done,  and  then  the  rope 
substitute  which  he  wished  to  make  use  of  at  the 
last  moment  was  never  passed. 

There  was  something  alarming  in  the  swift,  silent 
approach  of  the  black  English  fleet.  It  was  the 
custom  of  that  day  for  each  captain  to  paint  his  ship 
in  accordance  with  his  fancy.  The  French  ships  were 
so  painted.  In  the  mass  they  looked  like  a  rainbow. 
Nelson  instituted  that  style  of  painting  his  ships  as 
black  as  death  which  did  service  practically  in  all 
navies  until  the  slate  grays  of  the  modern  steel  battle 
ship  came  into  vogue.  Where  the  two  lines  of  ports 
came  there  were  livid,  yellow  streaks,  broken  by  the 
black  openings  of  the  gun  ports  and  the  covering  port- 
shutters,  the  only  bits  of  color  about  the  ships  — 
"  Nelson's  checker-boards,"  the  sailors  facetiously  called 
them. 

The  sun  was  low  in  the  horizon  by  the  time  the 
first  ship  had  drawn  within  range.  The  western  sky, 
slightly  clouded,  was  a  magnificent  blaze  of  gold  and 
color.  The  G-oliath  was  coming  on  as  swiftly  and  as 
silently  as  a  shooting  star.  She  was  pointing  straight 
for  the  head  of  the  French  line.  What  did  she  intend? 

If   Nelson  would   only   lay   his   ships   broadside   to 


366  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

broadside  of  the  French  fleet  all  the  way  down  the 
line,  Brueys  felt  confident  that  he  could  at  least  stand 
him  off  in  a  drawn  battle.  An  ordinary  admiral  would 
have  done  this.  Brueys  would  have  done  it  himself, 
and  being  an  ordinary  admiral  he  had  no  way  of 
fathoming  the  purpose  of  an  extraordinary  admiral  like 
Nelson. 

Neither  he  nor  any  one,  save  a  certain  old  officer 
of  the  ancient  French  Navy  quietly  walking  up  and 
down  the  poop-deck  of  Le  Tonnant,  his  granddaughter 
upon  his  arm,  his  faithful  Brebceuf  by  his  side,  realized 
that  what  Brueys  anticipated  would  certainly  not  be 
the  thing  that  would  happen.  The  admiral's  view 
was  that  of  a  spectator.  He  had  no  duties  to  claim 
his  attention,  no  interest  in  any  particular  ship. 
Dupetit-Thouars,  who  had  also  been  educated  in  the 
school  of  de  Suffren,  might  have  suspected  something, 
had  he  not  been  busily  engaged  in  preparing  his  ship 
for  action. 

Expecting,  as  did  their  admiral,  to  be  fought  on  the 
starboard  side,  the  French  captains,  instead  of  casting 
overboard  all  unnecessary  impediments,  including  the 
spare  cabins  which  had  been  built  upon  every  one  of 
the  liners  to  accommodate  the  army  officers,  piled  the 
dunnage  up  in  great  heaps  on  the  larboard  side  be- 
tween the  guns.  Brueys'  fleet  was  somewhat  short- 
handed,  but  there  were  over  a  thousand  sailors  on  the 
four  frigates  lying  inboard  of  his  line,  who  were  in 
no  danger  from  battle  ships  so  long  as  they  kept  quiet 
and  attended  to  their  own  business.  The  etiquette  of 


THE  BAND   OP   BROTHERS  367 

war  in  that  day  kept  battle  ships  from  firing  upon 
frigates  unless  the  frigate  provoked  an  attack  by 
joining  in  the  battle.  Brueys  as  a  final  measure 
directed  that  the  bulk  of  their  crews  should  be  sent 
to  reenforce  his  ships-of-the-line. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

THE   GRAPPLE   OF   THE  LEVIATHANS 

A  FEW  minutes  after  six  o'clock  flags  were  broken 
out  from  the  mastheads  of  the  English  ships.  Nelson 
was  only  a  rear-admiral  of  the  Blue,  but  he  had  a 
peculiar  affection  for  the  white  flag,  and,  by  his  order, 
among  the  ensigns  displayed  upon  the  British  ships 
was  the  white  ensign  of  a  rear-admiral  of  the  White. 
This  flag  with  its  red  cross  of  St.  George  would  be  dis- 
tinguishable in  the  darkness  and  could  by  no  chance  be 
mistaken  for  the  French  tricolor.  He  had  also  ordered 
all  his  vessels,  so  soon  as  night  fell,  to  string  four  lights 
horizontally  from  the  mizzen  peak.  There  was  always 
danger  that  mistakes  might  be  made,  and  Nelson  felt 
that  this  would  reduce  danger  to  a  minimum. 

The  G-oliath,  hard  pushed  by  the  Zealous,  had  barely 
maintained  her  place  at  the  head  of  the  line.  Foley 
had  clewed  up  his  topgallant  sails  in  preparation  for 
battle,  but,  the  Zealous  forereaching  him,  he  had  been 
compelled  to  set  them  again. 

His  ship  made  a  magnificent  picture  as,  with  her  sails 
gleaming  white  against  the  red  glow  of  the  dying  sun, 
she  swept  down  toward  the  head  of  the  French  line. 
Foley  himself  stood  on  the  poop-deck  to  leeward, 
being  the  point  from  which  best  to  observe  the  enemy, 

368 


THE   GRAPPLE   OP   THE   LEVIATHANS  369 

staring  at  the  ships  ahead  of  him.  Although  it 
was  not  yet  dark,  he  could  see  the  battle  lanterns, 
which  had  been  lighted  in  preparation  for  the  coming 
battle,  sparkling  through  the  long  lines  of  open 
ports  with  their  black-throated  guns,  around  which 
clustered  the  persistent  and  ancient  enemies  of  Eng- 
land. 

There  was  perfect  silence  throughout  the  ship,  broken 
only  by  the  uneasy  groaning  of  the  timbers  and  the  creak- 
ing of  yards  and  cordage  under  the  pull  of  the  great  top- 
sails, as  she  swiftly  slipped  through  the  heaving  waves 
rolling  over  the  shallow  ocean  floor.  The  deep  voices 
of  the  leadsmen  in  the  main  chains  on  both  sides  of  the 
ship,  calling  out  the  depth  of  the  water  in  their  rude  but 
rhythmical  chant,  were  the  only  sounds  from  human  lips 
that  could  be  heard  as  the  mighty  Goliath  rushed  at  the 
enemy. 

Everything  was  ready.  It  only  remained  for  the 
battle  to  be  joined.  The  water  was  shoaling  rapidly. 
The  keel  of  the  Goliath  was  perilously  near  the  sandy 
bottom  already.  The  time  for  a  momentous  decision 
had  arrived.  As  Foley  stared  at  the  bows  of  the  first 
French  ship,  the  mighty  Gruerrier,  something  more  than 
two  hundred  yards  ahead  of  him,  his  keen  eye  detected 
a  buoy  floating  far  forward  of  her  bows.  The  French 
ship  was  riding  to  a  long  scope,  and  that  buoy  marked 
the  position  of  her  anchor.  There  was  no  order  as  to 
just  what  he  should  do  with  his  ship,  but  Nelson's  words 
in  one  of  the  conversations  they  had  had  on  the  Van- 
guard during  the  cruise  flashed  into  his  mind.  "  Where 
2s 


370  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

there  is  room  for  a  French  ship  to  swing,  there  is  room 
for  an  English  ship  to  pass,"  and  to  anchor,  too  ! 

He  would  do  it  !  Instead  of  rounding  to,  on  the 
outside  of  the  French  line,  he  would  cut  across  the  bows 
of  the  anchored  ship  and  bring  up  on  the  other  side. 
Amazing  and  portentous  resolution  !  He  risked  his 
ship  for  the  gain  that  would  come. 

Foley  had  been  with  Rodney  at  the  Battle  of  the 
Saints,  when  the  old  man  broke  through  the  French 
lines.  He  learned  then  that  it  was  the  bad  habit  of 
the  French  to  pile  their  dunnage  on  the  disengaged  side. 
He  could  do  more  damage  and  receive  less  hurt  there 
than  to  windward.  Other  ships  might  follow  his  ex- 
ample ;  others  still  might  drop  along  the  outer  side  of 
the  French  line.  He  saw  the  coming  battle  in  his  mind 
as  it  were  a  picture.  That  great  line  of  French  ships 
would  be  caught  between  two  fires  and  crushed  to 
destruction. 

"  I  intend  to  throw  my  fleet  upon  the  French  van 
and  centre,"  Nelson  had  said. 

Whether  it  would  be  better  to  station  two  British 
ships,  one  off  the  bow  and  the  other  off  the  quarter 
of  each  French  ship,  both  on  the  same  side,  or  whether 
it  would  be  better  to  double  on  the  French  line,  was  a 
question.  Foley  decided  quickly,  and  decided  correctly, 
that  doubling  was  the  proper  move. 

It  was  twenty  minutes  after  six  now.  A  burst  of 
flame  and  smoke  from  Le  Gruerrier,  another  from  her 
next  astern,  Le  ConquSrant,  and  the  battle  was  joined. 

"  Call  the  men  from  the  chains  !  "  said  the  English 


THE   GRAPPLE   OF   THE   LEVIATHANS  371 

captain,  quickly.  They  were  of  no  use  to  him  now, 
he  had  decided.  "  Man  the  larboard  battery  !  Hands 
by  the  tops'l  and  t'gallant  sheets  and  halyards  !  Lead 
along  the  clew-lines  !  Steady  ! " 

There  was  a  little  confusion,  soon  settled,  as  the  men 
shifted  to  the  larboard  batteries  and  as  the  sail  trim- 
mers took  their  appointed  stations.  The  French  broad- 
side, badly  aimed,  had  done  little  or  no  damage  to  the 
English  ships.  Into  the  smoke  the  Gf-oliatk  drove  with 
headlong  speed.  Almost  abreast  of  her  and  a  little  to 
windward  came  the  Zealous.  Foley  glanced  aft,  and 
there,  keeping  magnificent  order,  swarmed  the  war 
monsters  of  England.  He  had  only  time  for  a  single 
look. 

The  guns  of  Le  Gruerrier  were  speaking  again.  Shot 
began  to  come  aboard.  Men  fell  here  and  there.  The 
crash  of  splintered  timbers  was  heard  above  the  roar  of 
the  discharge.  The  men  looked  at  their  captain.  Did 
he  intend  to  run  down  Le  Gruerrier,  now  close  aboard  ? 
But  no.  He  leaned  over  and  spoke  to  the  man  at  the 
helm.  Slowly  the  spokes  of  the  wheel  revolved.  The 
great  ship  swung  up  to  the  wind  slightly.  Another 
moment  and  her  bowsprit  drew  across  the  headbooms 
of  Le  Gruerrier.  The  battery  on  Bequieres  Island  was 
sputtering  fire.  It  was  too  far  away  to  do  much  damage. 
No  one  paid  any  attention  to  it. 

Hood,  in  the  Zealous,  close  behind  the  Goliath,  saw 
Foley's  astonishing  manoeuvre.  Was  the  Gf-oliath  going 
to  pass  athwart  the  hawse  of  the  French  fleet  ?  Ex- 
pecting every  moment  to  take  ground,  yet  holding  on 


372  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

with  the  same  indomitable  determination  that  marked 
Foley,  Hood  came  following  after  with  his  noble  ship. 
Now  the  Goliath  was  fairly  abreast  Le  G-uerrier.  Every 
gun  on  the  English  ship  bore  upon  the  French  vessel. 
Hollowing  his  hand,  Foley  shouted  out  a  fierce  com- 
mand. Instantly  the  whole  side  of  the  Q-oliath  burst 
into  flame.  At  pistol-shot  distance  every  gun,  double 
or  triple  shotted,  swept  Le  G-uerrier  with  a  besom  of 
destruction. 

"  Settle  away  sheets  and  halyards !  "  roared  Foley. 
"Clew  up  and  clew  down!  Hard  up  with  the  helm! 
Load,  and  fire!  Give  it  to  them,  men!  " 

At  once  the  sails  upon  the  yard-arms  disappeared  as 
if  by  magic.  In  the  excitement  they  were  clewed  up  to 
the  yards,  which  were  hauled  down  to  the  caps,  in  less 
time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it. 

"  Let  go  the  starboard  anchor!  "  shouted  Foley. 

By  Nelson's  orders  every  ship  had  fastened  a  cable 
around  the  mizzenmast,  carried  it  through  a  stern  port, 
and  thence  outside  the  ship  forward,  where  it  was  bent 
to  one  of  the  bower  anchors.  Nelson  directed  his  ships 
to  anchor  by  the  stern.  This  precaution  would  prevent 
them  from  swinging  under  fire  as  they  would  have  done 
coming  down  the  wind  if  they  had  anchored  by  the 
bows,  thus  giving  the  French  a  chance  to  rake  them. 
Anchored  by  the  stern,  they  could  go  ahead  simply  by 
veering  cables,  and  as  the  wind  would  be  aft  it  would 
give  them  immediate  control  of  their  ships  in  case  it 
became  necessary  to  make  sail. 

Something  was  wrong  with  the  anchor,  however,  and 


THE  GRAPPLE   OF  THE  LEVIATHANS  373 

it  did  not  drop  until  the  Goliath  had  swept  past  the 
antagonist  which  she  had  elected  to  fight  and  had 
dropped  down  to  the  larboard  quarter  of  Le  Conquerant 
and  the  larboard  bow  of  Le  Spartiate.  Right  on  the 
heels  of  the  Goliath  came  the  Zealous.  With  nice  sea- 
manship Hood  dropped  his  anchor  where  Foley  had 
intended  to  stop,  just  off  the  larboard  bow  of  Le 
Guerrier. 

Hard  after  the  Zealous  came  the  Orion.  Taking  a 
wider  sweep,  Saumarez  threw  his  ship  across  the  bows 
of  Le  Q-uerrier,  raking  her  for  the  third  time  as  he 
passed;  then  he  crossed  the  stern  of  the  Zealous  and  ran 
swiftly  down  outside  of  the  Goliath,  now  fiercely  en- 
gaged, her  guns  in  one  continuous  roar  from  the  rapid- 
ity with  which  she  was  fought. 

Inboard  of  the  French  line  lay  the  first  of  the  frigates, 
Le  S&rieuse,  a  forty-gun  ship.  As  the  Orion  came 
sweeping  along,  the  frigate  foolishly  opened  fire  upon 
her.  To  her  first  broadside  Saumarez  paid  no  attention, 
although  Barker,  his  first  lieutenant,  besought  him  for 
permission  to  return  it. 

"  No,"  said  the  captain,  "  perhaps  she  will  come 
nearer." 

Sure  enough,  Le  SSrieuse  veered  cable  and  again 
opened  fire  on  the  Orion.  With  a  sudden  sweep  of  the 
helm  Saumarez  swung  his  great  ship  out  toward  the 
frigate.  She  had  invited  her  own  doom.  At  close 
range,  within  the  length  of  a  cable,  one  mighty  broad- 
side was  hurled  upon  her.  She  was  dismasted,  her 
guns  dismounted,  and  in  five  minutes  she  sank,  fortu- 


374  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

nately  for  her  crew  drifting  on  the  sands  as  she  did  so. 
The  Orion  then  anchored  abreast  the  fifth  French  ship, 
Le  Peuple  Souverain. 

After  the  Orion  came  the  Audacious.  Gould  did  not 
try  to  round  the  French  van  ship.  He  boldly  thrust 
his  vessel  in  between  Le  G-uerrier  and  Le  Conqu£rant, 
raking  Le  G-uerrier  with  his  starboard  battery  and  Le 
Conqu£rant  with  his  larboard  guns  as  he  did  so.  He 
came  to  anchor  off  the  bow  of  Le  Conqu$rant,  and  to 
her  he  clung,  raking  her  with  every  shot. 

Into  the  smoke  of  the  battle  the  Theseus  now  plunged. 
Cool,  calm,  collected  as  any  captain  who  ever  fought, 
instead  of  going  outside  of  the  British  ships  engaged 
on  the  inner  side  of  the  French  line,  Miller,  observing 
the  French  were  firing  high,  calmly  sailed  the  Theseus 
between  the  Zealous  and  Le  Gruerrier,  so  close  to  the 
latter  that  their  yards  almost  touched,  past  the 
Audacious  and  Le  ConquSrant,  between  the  Croliath 
and  Le  Spartiate,  pouring  shot  and  shell  into  each  of 
the  French  in  succession,  while  receiving  little  damage 
himself,  and  at  last  dropped  his  anchor  by  the  side  of 
L'Aquilon  just  abaft  the  Orion. 

Hard  on  the  wake  of  the  Theseus  surged  the  mighty 
Vanguard.  The  excitement  of  the  past  two  months 
had  completely  departed  from  the  little  admiral.  Ice 
is  the  only  word  to  describe  his  coolness.  Yet  the 
accentuated  pallor  of  his  face  and  the  fiery  blaze  of  his 
eyes  served  to  exhibit  the  magnificent  exultance  of  the 
man  as  he  watched  the  marvellous  handling  of  his  ships 
by  their  captains.  A  strong  northerly  wind  carried 


THE   GRAPPLE  OF   THE  LEVIATHANS  375 

the  smoke  of  the  battle  far  down  the  lines,  and  every 
manoeuvre  was  as  plain  and  as  easily  to  be  understood 
as  if  he  had  been  watching  a  game  of  chess.  Never  in 
the  history  of  naval  warfare  was  there  so  magnificent  a 
spectacle  as  was  presented  that  summer  evening  in  the 
Bay  of  Aboukir. 

Nelson,  accompanied  on  one  side  by  Berry,  on  the 
other  by  Macartney,  slowly  paced  the  deck  of  the 
Vanguard.  As  on  every  other  ship,  her  men  were  at 
quarters.  She  was  ready  for  action,  and  her  crew 
thirsted  for  the  moment  when  the  attack  was  to  be 
made. 

"  Look  at  Foley !  See  how  he  takes  his  ship  to 
action  as  if  the  eyes  of  England  were  upon  him,  and 
would  to  God  they  were ! "  exclaimed  Nelson,  uncon- 
sciously quoting  Jervis,  as  he  leaned  far  over  the 
weather  rail  and  stared  past  the  other  ships  of  his 
van  to  see  what  the  leading  liner  was  about. 

"  He  will  be  into  the  French  ship,"  said  Berry, 
quickly,  "  if  he  doesn't  change  his  course !  " 

"His  word,  like  that  of  Troubridge  at  St.  Vincent 
will  be  '  Let  the  weakest  fend  off,'  I  fancy,"  said  the 
admiral,  smiling  with  stern  pleasure  at  the  recollection. 

"What's  he  about,  I  wonder?"  queried  Macartney, 
joining  the  others  and  staring  at  the  bulk  of  the  great 
ship  outlined  blackly  against  the  setting  sun. 

"  We  shall  see  in  a  second,"  answered  Nelson.  "  If 
I  guess  rightly,  he  will  cross  the  bows  of  the  —  " 

"  He  springs  his  luff  !  "  cried  Berry,  suddenly.  "  He 
bears  up !  " 


376  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  You're  right !  She's  going  inside  !  "  answered 
Macartney.  "  She'll  take  ground,  she'll  take  ground  !  " 

"No,"  said  Nelson,  "what  did  I  tell  you?  Where 
there  is  room  for  a  French  ship  to  swing,  there  is  room  for 
an  English  ship  to  pass.  Magnificent !  There  goes 
her  broadside.  Well  done,  Q-oliath!" 

An  instant  after,  a  terrific  crash,  as  the  English  van 
ship  let  fly  her  larboard  battery  in  the  face  of  Le 
Gruerrier,  was  heard  above  the  irregular  rattle  of  the 
French  fire.  The  overwhelming  sound  told  those  sea- 
men who  clustered  around  the  black  guns  on  the  low- 
est deck  in  the  very  vitals  of  the  flagship  that  the  first 
blow  had  been  struck  for  England.  A  spontaneous 
cheer  burst  forth  from  the  men  on  the  Vanguard. 

"There  goes  the  Zealous!"  cried  Nelson.  "Right 
in  her  track.  Raked  again  !  God !  Yon  French  ship 
must  be  a  slaughter  pen  !  Where's  Foley  ?  " 

"  He's  brought  to  abreast  the  third  ship,  sir,"  cried 
Macartney,  pointing. 

"  Now  it's  the  Orion,  superbly  handled  like  the  rest !  " 

"  Look  at  the  Audacious,  Sir  Horatio !  She's  break- 
ing through  the  line  !  " 

"Ay,  ay,"  said  Nelson,  "and  there  go  both  her 
broadsides  at  once  !  It's  magnificent !  Were  there  ever 
captains  like  mine,  Macartney?  Berry,  'twill  be  our 
turn  soon.  Take  another  look  through  the  batteries. 
Let  no  man  fire  until  the  order  is  given  I  " 

"  Admiral,"  cried  Macartney,  who  had  happened  to 
look  to  seaward,  seizing  Nelson  by  the  arm  as  he  spoke, 
*'  look  yonder  !  The  Culloden!" 


THE   GRAPPLE  OF   THE   LEVIATHANS  377 

"By  heaven,"  exclaimed  Nelson,  "she's  ashore! 
Poor  Troubridge  !  He  would  give  his  soul  to  be  here ! 
Who's  that  with  him?" 

"  The  Leander.     And  La  Mutine,  I  think. " 

"  I  pray  God  he  can  get  off.  For  his  sake,  mark  ye, 
Sir  Robert,  for  his  sake,  not  mine !  The  loss  of  the 
Culloden  gives  us  the  odds  that  I  like.  The  greater 
the  honor." 

"  The  Theseus  is  passing  between  our  ships  and  the 
French,  sir." 

"  There's  no  better  seaman  nor  fighter  in  the  fleet 
than  that  daredevil  American.  God,  what  would 
Troubridge  give  to  be  here  !  Look  yonder,  Macart- 
ney !  Did  anything  ever  come  on  more  gallantly  than 
the  Minotaur  and  the  rest?  " 

"  Splendid,  Admiral,  splendid !  "  cried  Macartney. 
"  It's  a  pity  the  Swiftsure  and  the  Alexander  are  so  far 
away." 

"  There  will  be  plenty  of  chance  for  them  to  get  into 
the  fight  before  it  is  over,"  said  Nelson.  "  This  is  but 
the  beginning.  Yet  I'll  wager  that  burly  Ben  Hallo- 
well  is  fretting  his  life  out.  Poor  Troubridge's  mishap 
will  serve  one  purpose.  They  will  be  sure  to  give  the 
shoal  a  wide  berth.  Think  you  she  can  get  off  in  time  ?  " 

"  I  believe  not,  Sir  Horatio.  See !  The  Leander  has 
left  her." 

"  I  ought  to  order  that  boat  out  of  the  line,  but  — 
ah,  well,  it  would  break  Thompson's  heart.  Poor 
Troubridge,  poor  Troubridge  I  I  had  rather  lost  my 
other  arm  than  —  " 


378  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Sir  Horatio,"  said  Berry,  "  in  two  more  minutes  we 
shall  be  in  action.  What  shall  we  do  ?  " 

"  Bring  to  on  the  outside  of  the  French  line.  The 
third  ship  yonder  will  be  your  mark.  We'll  double 
them,  and,  look  ye,  Berry,  no  firing  until  you  have 
clewed  up ! " 

Le  Spartiate,  the  third  ship-of-the-line,  was  already 
engaged  with  the  Q-oliath  and  the  Theseus,  but  as  Nel- 
son's flagship  came  swinging  along  in  the  growing 
twilight  she  let  drive  a  broadside  at  her  from  her 
starboard  guns.  Berry  paid  no  attention  to  that,  and, 
born  fighter  that  he  was,  he  kept  the  Vanguard  going 
ahead  until  she  was  almost  aboard  of  her.  He  dropped 
anchor  and  brought  to  the  ship  at  less  than  thirty  yards' 
distance  from  her  doomed  opponent.  Not  a  shot  was 
fired  until  the  yards  had  been  settled  away  and  the 
sails  clewed  up.  Then  the  starboard  broadside  was 
poured  into  the  devoted  French  ship. 

Just  ahead  of  Le  Spartiate  lay  VAquilon,  one  of  the 
best  ships  in  the  French  fleet.  She  seems  to  have  been 
the  only  one  except  Le  Tonnant  which  had  carried  out 
the  admiral's  order  and  put  a  spring  on  her  cable  ;  for, 
as  the  Vanguard  came  to  anchor,  L'Aquilon,  not  yet 
completely  engaged,  since  Miller  in  the  Theseus  was 
dividing  his  fire  between  that  ship  and  Le  Spartiate, 
sprung  her  stern  to  starboard  and  began  to  rake  the  Van- 
guard. For  a  moment  Nelson's  ship  was  in  somewhat 
the  position  of  the  van  of  the  French  line,  for  he  was 
being  assailed  by  two  ships  of  equal  force  to  his  own,  one 
of  which  was  partially  raking  him  with  every  discharge. 


THE  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  LEVIATHANS      379 

"  This  is  hot  work,  Sir  Horatio,"  cried  Macartney, 
above  the  roar  of  the  battle. 

"  It  is.  But  think  what  it  must  be  on  those  French 
ships  yonder." 

"  They  are  raking  us  with  every  broadside,  Admiral," 
said  Berry.  "  We  can't  stand  this  much  longer." 

"  Thank  God,  here  comes  the  Minotaur !  "  said  Nel- 
son, as  the  great  black  hulk  of  the  largest  ship  in  his 
fleet  drew  swiftly  past  the  unengaged  side  of  the  Van- 
guard, gallant  Louis  standing  on  the  rail  waving  his 
hat  at  Nelson.  With  beautiful  seamanship,  so  soon  as 
he  cleared  the  Vanguard,  Louis  swung  the  Minotaur  in 
ahead  of  her,  forcing  LAquilon  back  into  the  line  and 
hotly  engaging  her.  By  this  means  he  relieved  Nelson. 

It  was  six  forty-five,  just  sunset,  when  the  Minotaur 
opened  on  LAquilon.  There  was  a  gap  between  the 
Minotaur  and  the  three  remaining  ships,  the  Defence 
leading,  with  the  BelleropTion  next,  and  the  Majestic 
last,  but  all  three  close  together.  It  was  seven  o'clock, 
therefore,  before  the  Defence  dropped  anchor  on  the 
starboard  side  of  Le  Peuple  Souverain,  furiously  engaged 
on  the  other  side  with  the  Orion. 

A  moment  after,  Darby,  missing  Le  Franklin  in  his 
haste  to  get  into  action,  shoved  the  Bellerophon,  looking 
very  small  indeed  against  her  antagonist's  towering 
sides,  close  aboard  L  Orient.  With  a  roar  like  that  of 
a  thunder  clap,  the  huge  three-decker  opened  on  the 
gallant  74.  Le  Franklin,  next  ahead  of  L' Orient,  di- 
vided her  broadsides  between  the  Defence,  the  Orion, 
and  the  Bellerophon.  Last  of  all  the  ships  engaged  in 


380  THE  TWO  CAPTAINS 

the  first  part  of  the  action  came  the  Majestic.  A  good 
place  for  Westcott  to  have  put  his  ship  would  have  been 
between  the  Defence  and  the  Bellerophon,  opposite  Le 
Franklin,  but  in  the  darkness,  for  the  short  twilight  had 
faded,  and  in  the  confusion  caused  by  the  smoke,  he 
missed  that  station  and  brought  to  squarely  abreast  the 
eighth  French  ship,  Le  Tonnant. 

Dupetit-Thouars  had  been  waiting  with  what  pa- 
tience he  could  for  his  particular  opponent,  and  the 
Majestic  was  scarcely  within  range  when  he  hurled  a 
broadside  into  her.  The  two  leviathans  of  war  were 
soon  engaged  in  a  terrific  grapple.  The  position  of  Le 
Tonnant  was  much  better  than  that  of  any  of  the  other 
French  ships  engaged,  as  she  had  only  one  enemy  upon 
which  to  concentrate  her  fire. 

The  French  van  ships  were  suffering  dreadfully. 
Shortly  after  seven  o'clock  a  small  boat  came  reck- 
lessly rowing  down  the  line  of  fire  to  the  Vanguard 
with  the  following  letter  from  Gould  of  the  Audacious : 

"  AUDACIOUS,  IST  AUGUST,  1798. 

"  To  SIR  HORATIO  NELSON,  K.  B. 

"  SIR  :  —  I  have  the  satisfaction  to  tell  you  that  the  French  ship 
Le  Conquerant  has  struck  to  the  Audacious,  and  I  have  her  in  pos- 
session. The  slaughter  on  board  her  is  dreadful;  her  captain  is 
dying.  We  have  but  one  killed,  but  a  great  many  wounded.  Our 
fore  and  mainmast  are  wounded,  but  I  hope  not  very  bad.  They 
tell  me  the  foremast  is  the  worst.  I  give  you  joy.  This  is  a  glori- 
ous victory.  I  am,  with  the  utmost  respect,  yours  in  haste, 

«  D.  GOULD." 

Le  ConquSrant,  literally  cut  to  pieces,  had  been  the 
first  ship  to  surrender.  Five  minutes  after  she  struck, 


THE   GRAPPLE   OF   THE   LEVIATHANS  381 

Le  Peuple  Souverain,  smashed  into  a  helpless  wreck, 
parted  her  cable  and  drifted  out  of  her  place  in  the 
line.  She  did  not  bring  to  until  opposite  IS  Orient. 
The  Orion  immediately  veered  cable  and  followed  her, 
dividing  her  fire  between  the  beaten  ship  and  Le  Frank- 
lin. Saumarez's  example  was  followed  by  Peyton  with 
the  Defence. 

Into  the  great  gap  left  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  ruined 
Le  Peuple  Souverain  Thompson  gallantly  threw  the  little 
Leander.  He  anchored  his  ship  by  the  head  and  stern 
directly  athwart  the  hawse  of  Le  Franklin,  and,  in  a  posi- 
tion in  which  no  gun  of  hers  could  touch  him,  raked 
her  again  and  again. 

From  a  position  of  comparative  security,  therefore, 
Le  Franklin  was  suddenly  the  most  sorely  beset  of  the 
fleet.  Rear-admiral  Blanquet  du  Chayla,  upon  whom 
the  immediate  command  devolved  on  account  of  the  seri- 
ous wounding  of  Captain  Gilet,  fought  his  noble  vessel 
with  unparalleled  obstinacy  and  courage.  The  great 
eighty-gun  ship  blazed  and  roared  like  an  active 
volcano. 

Meanwhile,  urged  to  the  last  limit  by  their  impatient 
and  ardent  captains,  the  Swiftsure  and  Alexander  came 
hurrying  through  the  gloom  of  the  night  toward  the 
fire-punctured,  smoke-covered  line.  Hallowell  was  in 
the  lead.  In  the  darkness  he  saw  looming  close  aboard 
him  the  shattered  dismasted  hulk  of  a  ship.  He  was 
about  to  fire  into  it,  but  concluded  to  hail  before  doing 
so.  It  was  well  that  he  did,  for  he  found  that  it  was 
the  Bellerophon  going  out  of  action. 


382  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

For  one  hour  Darby  had  stood  the  brunt  of  IS  Orient's 
overwhelming  fire,  and  now  with  every  stick  cut  out  of 
her,  with  half  her  crew  killed  or  wounded,  with  her  guns 
dismounted,  her  rudder  shattered,  completely  wrecked 
and  helpless,  his  ship  had  been  forced  out  of  the  line. 

As  Hallowell  had  rounded  the  battery  on  Bequieres, 
a  long  and  lucky  shot  struck  the  Swiftsure  beneath  the 
water-line  exposed  for  a  moment  by  the  heave  of  a 
wave.  The  ship  actually  had  four  feet  of  water  in  her 
as  she  came  into  action.  A  heavy  detail  of  her  crew 
was  withdrawn  from  the  guns  engaged  in  keeping  her 
afloat  under  the  circumstances  by  dint  of  constant  labor 
at  the  pumps.  Nothing  daunted  by  her  condition,  or  by 
the  previous  reception  of  the  Bellerophon,  Hallowell 
took  Darby's  vacant  place  by  the  side  of  U  Orient. 

To  his  assistance  came  the  Alexander.  Ball  chose 
to  cut  in  between  IS  Orient  and  Le  Tonnant,  raking 
them  both  as  he  passed.  Then  he  luffed  up  on  the 
larboard  quarter  of  Brueys'  flagship  and,  anchored  by 
the  head,  the  only  one  of  the  English  ships  to  do  so, 
he  joined  with  the  Orion  and  the  Swiftsure  in  making  a 
chopping-block  of  the  magnificent  three-decker,  Le 
Peuple  Souverain  having  been  beaten  into  wood  pulp 
by  this  time. 

And  now  the  English  fleet  having  all  come  into 
action  except  the  unfortunate  Culloden,  which  the 
agonized  Troubridge  and  his  grief-stricken  men  were 
striving  vainly  to  get  off  the  shoal,  the  battle  resolved 
itself  into  a  trial  of  strength  and  endurance.  The  end 
was  certain.  The  gallantry  and  determination  of  the 


THE   GRAPPLE  OF   THE  LEVIATHANS  383 

French  might  postpone  it  for  a  space,  but  there  was 
nothing  before  them  but  surrender  or  destruction. 

Thirteen  heavy  ships  had  been  concentrated  on  the 
first  eight  of  the  French  line.  With  an  astonishing 
and  entirely  unexplainable  supineness  the  four  rear 
ships  of  the  French  fleet  lay  quietly  at  their  anchors 
doing  absolutely  nothing.  LHeureux,  the  next  astern 
of  Le  Tonnant,  had  indeed  engaged  the  Majestic  with 
such  of  her  guns  as  bore,  but  Le  Mercure,  Le  Cruillaume 
Tell,  Le  Q-enereux,  and  Le  TimoUon,  which  comprised 
the  rear  division  under  Admiral  Villeneuve,  swung 
quietly  at  their  anchors,  watching  the  spectacle  as  if 
they  had  no  interest  in  it  whatever. 

Shortly  after  eight  o'clock  a  piece  of  langridge  from 
Le  Spartiate  struck  Nelson  in  the  forehead.  The 
jagged,  irregular  piece  of  scrap  iron  cut  a  great  gash, 
tearing  loose  a  piece  of  skin  as  big  as  a  man's  hand, 
which  fell  down  over  his  eye,  completely  blinding  him. 
The  blood  poured  over  his  face.  He  clapped  his  hand, 
to  his  head  and  staggered. 

"  I  am  killed  I  "  he  gasped.  "  Remember  me  to  my 
wife." 

Macartney  caught  him  in  his  arms.  Turning  over 
the  command  to  Berry,  Nelson  was  carried  to  the  cock- 
pit. The  losses  of  the  Vanguard  had  been  extremely 
heavy.  Over  one  hundred  of  her  crew  had  been  killed 
and  wounded.  Again  and  again  had  her  forward  gun 
crews,  which  had  suffered  most  from  L'Aquilon,  been 
renewed.  The  ship's  surgeons,  with  their  coats  off, 
their  sleeves  rolled  up,  were  working  like  butchers 


384 

over  the  wounded.  So  soon  as  they  saw  the  admiral 
being  conveyed  to  the  cockpit  they  naturally  hastened 
to  him,  but  he  peremptorily  refused  to  be  treated  out  of 
his  turn.  He  suffered  horribly,  and  was  confident  that 
he  had  received  his  death  wound.  He  sent  a  last 
message  to  his  wife,  had  Berry  hail  the  Minotaur  and 
summon  her  captain,  who  came  aboard  the  flag. 

When  the  brave  Louis  bent  over  the  blind  and,  as  he 
thought,  dying  admiral  in  the  cockpit  and  the  latter 
thanked  him  for  the  magnificent  support  he  had  given 
him,  the  scene  brought  tears  to  the  eyes  of  the  beholders. 
When  it  came  to  his  turn  and  the  wound  was  dressed, 
the  doctors  were  able  to  assure  the  admiral  that  it  was 
not  mortal.  Although  it  was  extremely  painful  and 
would  probably  remain  so  for  some  time,  on  account 
of  the  shock  and  a  slight  fracture  of  the  skull,  yet  he 
would  soon  be  able  to  be  about  again. 

About  nine  o'clock  L*  Orient  was  observed  to  be  on  fire 
on  her  larboard  quarter.  Hallowell  directed  his  light 
guns  at  the  burning  place  in  order  that  her  crew  might 
not  extinguish  the  blaze,  and  in  a  short  time  the  three- 
decker  was  hopelessly  aflame.  Brueys  had  been  killed. 
He  had  been  wounded  in  the  cheek  and  in  the  leg,  but 
remained  at  his  post  until  a  heavy  round  shot  disem- 
bowelled him.  Even  then  he  would  not  be  carried 
below.  He  died  on  his  own  quarter-deck.  Captain  de 
Casa  Bianca  was  also  desperately  wounded.  The  ship 
was  thereafter  fought  by  Admiral  Ganteaume. 

At  half  after  nine  o'clock  the  great  hulk  was  a  mass 
of  fire.  It  was  evident  to  every  one  that  she  was 


THE  GRAPPLE  OF  THE  LEVIATHANS  885 

doomed.  The  flames  had  mounted  to  the  rigging  and 
had  caught  the  masts.  They  curled  around  the  broad 
tops  in  glowing  columns,  with  fiery  capitals  of  marvel- 
lous beauty  in  the  blackness  of  the  night.  Still  her 
crew  fought  on.  While  the  decks  above  them  were 
ablaze,  the  lower  deck  guns  poured  shot  and  shell  into 
the  English,  who  clung  to  her  like  hounds  to  a  boar  at 
bay. 

The  captains  of  the  Alexander  and  the  Orion  shortly 
before  ten  o'clock  closed  their  ports  and  veered  away 
from  the  doomed  ship.  Hallowell,  in  the  JSwiftsure, 
who  had  the  advantage  of  the  windward  position,  hung 
tenaciously  by  JJ  Orient,  firing  to  the  very  last.  And 
now  above  all  the  horror  of  battle  the  rising  moon 
poured  down  her  soft  and  brilliant  light. 

Nelson  was  told  of  the  imminent  danger  and  clam- 
bered from  below  that  he  might  see  it.  When  he 
reached  the  deck  of  the  Vanguard  he  at  once  asked  if 
any  of  her  boats  were  still  seaworthy,  and  found  one 
which  could  be  made  use  of.  This  he  ordered  to  be 
made  ready  under  the  charge  of  Macartney,  who  volun- 
teered for  the  service,  to  save  such  of  the  crew  of 
L'  Orient  as  might  be  found  in  the  water. 

At  ten  o'clock,  with  a  concussion  that  seemed  to  rive 
the  heavens,  the  great  ship  blew  up.  Flaming  timbers, 
spars,  bodies  were  thrown  into  the  air  and  far  and  wide 
in  every  direction.  A  rain  of  fire  descended  upon  the 
nearest  ships.  Le  Franklin,  just  ahead  of  IS  Orient, 
caught  fire  in  a  dozen  places.  So  too  did  the  Alexander, 
the  Swiftsure,  the  Majestic,  and  Le  Tonnant. 
2c 


386 

The  shallow  water  of  the  bay  heaved  upward,  as  if 
driven  by  a  tidal  wave.  Up  and  down  the  line  the 
ships  swayed  to  and  fro  as  if  drunken  with  battle. 
Weakened  spars  gave  way  under  the  strain,  masts 
crashed  over  the  riven  sides.  Under  the  influence  of 
the  awful  concussion  from  the  terrific  shock  involved  in 
the  blowing  up  of  the  three-decker,  the  battle  stopped 
for  several  moments.  Not  a  gun  was  fired  in  the  face  of 
so  awful  a  manifestation  of  the  power  and  horror  of  war. 

From  the  explosion  of  I?  Orient  but  seventy  people 
were  saved  by  the  boats  from  the  English  ships  ;  for, 
like  the  Vanguard,  the  Swiftsure  and  Alexander  had  also 
sent  boats  to  the  rescue.  The  complement  of  I?  Orient 
was  one  thousand  men,  and  thus  over  nine  hundred  of 
them  were  lost. 

Le  Spartiate  and  ISAquilon  had  struck  at  nine  o'clock. 
Le  Spartiate  had  not  a  single  gun  that  would  bear  when 
she  hauled  down  her  flag.  The  slaughter  upon  her 
was  something  unprecedented.  Le  G-uerrier,  which  had 
been  raked  by  five  ships  in  succession,  had  been  made  a 
chopping-block  of  by  the  Zealous,  which  had  anchored 
off  her  larboard  bow  in  a  position  entirely  inaccessible 
to  the  French  liner's  guns.  The  Zealous,  with  a  loss  of 
one  killed  and  seven  wounded,  had  reduced  the  French 
74  to  a  complete  and  total  wreck.  Her  bows  were  beaten 
in,  her  main-deck  ports  as  far  aft  as  the  mainmast  were 
knocked  into  one  gaping  hole,  her  upper  works  had 
collapsed,  her  guns  were  dismounted,  and  she  was  in 
a  sinking  condition,  with  nearly  four  hundred  of  her 
crew  dead  or  dying  on  her  decks. 


THE   GKAPPLE   OF   THE  LEVIATHANS  387 

Le  Peuple  Souverain  struck  to  the  Alexander  soon 
after  the  destruction  of  the  flagship.  This  left  at  the 
head  of  the  French  line  only  Le  Franklin.  Around 
her  the  other  ships  promptly  closed.  For  a  time,  single 
handed  and  alone,  she  had  fought  the  English  fleet. 
Finally,  after  she  had  been  dismasted  and  so  crushed  as 
to  be  without  power  of  resistance,  she  too  struck  her  flag. 

Le  Tonnant  and  the  Majestic  had  both  been  fought  to 
a  standstill.  Shattered  and  dismasted,  they  both  drifted 
out  of  action.  As  other  of  the  British  ships,  the  The- 
seus, the  Groliath,  the  Audacious,  and  the  Zealous,  bore 
down  upon  the  five  remaining  ships  of  the  French  line, 
LHeureux  and  Le  Mercure  cut  their  cables  after  a  hot 
engagement,  and  in  their  endeavor  to  escape  drifted 
ashore. 

By  this  time  the  English  crews  were  almost  dead 
from  the  hard  work  of  the  long  day  and  the  terrible 
battle  of  the  longer  night.  The  indomitable  Ball  try- 
ing to  take  the  Alexander  into  further  action,  his  first 
lieutenant  begged  him  to  give  the  men  a  few  moments 
of  rest.  They  were  literally  collapsing  as  they  fought 
the  guns.  Twenty  minutes  were  allowed  them,  and  in 
a  moment  every  man  was  asleep  in  the  midst  of  the 
commotion,  until  they  were  awakened  to  go  on  with  the 
fight  once  more. 

It  was  long  past  midnight,  quite  two  in  the  morning, 
in  fact,  when  Macartney  received  permission  from  Nel- 
son to  take  the  Vanguard's  boat  and  board  the  distant 
Tonnant  under  a  flag,  for  the  purpose  of  summoning  it 
to  surrender. 


388  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

The  battle  was  over.  In  the  words  of  Nelson,  "It 
was  not  a  victory,  it  was  a  conquest !  " 

The  first  act  of  the  English  admiral,  when  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  ships  permitted  it,  the  next  day  was  to 
publish  the  following  order  :  — 

"  VANGUARD,  OFF  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  NILE,  2d  August,  1798. 

"  Almighty  God  having  blessed  his  Majesty's  arms  with  victory, 

the  admiral  intends  returning  public  thanksgiving  for  the  same  at 

two  o'clock  this  day,  and  he  recommends  every  ship  doing  the 

same. 

"  HORATIO  NELSON." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

"  YOUR  MAJESTY,   I  FOUGHT  FOB   FRANCE  I  " 

THE  emotions  which  filled  the  heart  of  Louise  de 
Vaudemont  when  she  was  informed  by  her  grandfather 
that  the  English  fleet  had  been  sighted  beyond 
Bequieres  Island  can  with  difficulty  be  imagined.  She 
had  no  assurance,  of  course,  that  her  lover  had  succeeded 
in  his  endeavor  to  find  Lord  Nelson,  yet  she  had  a 
woman's  confidence  that  he  had  not  failed  in  his  attempt. 
It  was  not  like  him  to  fail,  she  thought  proudly.  He 
always  succeeded.  He  had  even  won  her,  she  told  her- 
self with  a  happy  wave  of  feeling.  She  knew  he  was 
there.  She  felt  morally  certain  that  he  would  be  in 
command  of  one  of  the  swiftly  approaching  ships  which 
the  passing  hours  of  the  afternoon  brought  presently 
into  her  view  as  she  paced  the  poop-deck  of  Le  Tonnant 
by  the  old  man's  side. 

She  estimated  the  power  of  the  English  fleet  by  her 
knowledge  of  Macartney,  and  not  once  had  it  occurred 
to  her  at  least,  that  Nelson  would  hesitate  to  join  in 
battle.  She  was  certain  that  so  soon  as  he  could  get 
within  range  the  two  fleets  would  engage.  In  this 
conclusion  she  was  assured  by  her  grandfather. 

There  was  none  of  the  fatuousness  of  Brueys  about 
the  marquis.  He  had  not  permitted  himself  for  a 


390  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

moment  to  suppose,  as  Brueys  had  done,  that  the 
English  would  be  afraid  to  attack  them.  He  knew 
the  temper  of  the  English  in  general  and  he  knew  the 
temper  of  Nelson  in  particular.  Shrewd  observer  of 
men  as  he  was,  he  had  not  spent  hours  in  his  company 
without  divining  something  of  the  heroic  purpose  of  the 
English  seaman.  He  had  no  doubt  whatever  as  to 
the  relative  efficiency  of  the  two  fleets  either.  Bred  in 
the  strictest  and  sternest  school  of  de  Suffren,  who  was 
an  inimitable  disciplinarian,  the  marquis  noted  the  lax- 
ity and  disorder,  the  almost  utter  ruin  of  the  morale 
of  the  crews  which  Republican  ideas  had  produced. 
Liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity  !  Republican  ideas 
were  very  well  on  shore  ;  they  brought  nothing  but 
disaster  at  sea. 

Dupetit-Thouars  was  a  man  after  the  old  man's  heart, 
and  if  he  had  had  more  time  and  better  material  he 
might  have  effected  something  on  the  ship  to  which  he 
had  been  so  lately  commissioned,  but  the  crew  had  been 
completely  demoralized  by  Garron,  and  there  was  little 
improvement  which  he  could  bring  about  in  the  few 
days  he  was  allowed  full  and  unhindered  sway.  He 
did,  however,  do  something.  It  is  probable  that  he 
possessed  the  best  crew  of  any  of  the  French  ships. 
As  he  was  a  man  —  and  he  was  about  to  demonstrate  it 
conclusively  in  the  coming  battle  —  of  the  most  amazing 
vigor  and  courage,  he  communicated  some  of  his  spirit 
to  his  men. 

The  feelings  of  the  marquis  as  he  saw  the  English 
fleet  bearing  down  upon  them  were  somewhat  complex. 


"  YOUR   MAJESTY,    I   FOUGHT   FOR   FRANCE  I  "      391 

The  triumph  of  England  would  mean  the  discomfiture 
of  Bonaparte  and  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  the 
King.  Therefore,  from  his  political  point  of  view,  it  was 
to  be  hoped  for  and  prayed  for.  At  the  same  time,  a 
man  who  had  fought  the  red  flag  fluttering  from  the 
mastheads  of  the  nearing  ships  through  sixty  years 
of  service  could  not  forget  in  a  moment  his  ancient 
enmities.  Sometimes  the  marquis  found  himself,  with 
a  start  of  surprise,  longing  to  be  in  command.  The 
appeal  of  the  moment  threatened  to  overbalance  the 
calm,  dispassionate  judgment  of  the  hour.  For  instance, 
he  was  burning  with  a  desire  to  give  advice.  He 
realized,  as  perhaps  no  other  in  the  French  fleet,  the 
utter  hopelessness  of  Brueys'  position.  He  knew  just 
what  Nelson  would  do.  There  was  a  chance,  only  a 
chance,  but,  such  as  it  was,  a  possibility,  that  if  Brueys 
could  get  under  way  and  could  bring  his  ships  to  bear 
upon  Nelson's  fleet  he  might  crush  it  before  the  three 
rearmost  English  ships  could  get  into  action. 

In  default  of  a  better  confidant  he  explained  all  this 
to  Louise  as  they  walked  side  by  side.  Louise  had 
shared  the  old  man's  life  long  enough  and  intimately 
enough  to  have  learned  something  of  sea  fighting  from 
his  experience.  She  realized  that  the  battle  would  be 
a  fierce  and  furious  one.  She  herself,  her  grandfather, 
and  her  foster-sister,  would  be  in  the  midst  of  it. 
There  would  be  as  much  danger  to  them  as  to  any  one, 
but  she  never  gave  a  thought  to  her  own  peril,  nor 
even  to  that  of  the  marquis.  Her  mind  was  fixed  upon 
the  possibility  of  danger  to  Macartney.  She  wondered 


392  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

upon  which  of  the  ships  he  might  be.  A  tentative 
question  to  the  marquis  had  enlightened  her  some- 
what. 

"  Unless,"  said  the  old  man,  "  he  has  been  placed  in 
command  of  one  of  the  ships,  to  which  his  rank  and 
his  long  experience  would  entitle  him  —  which  is  most 
unlikely,  for  no  admiral  would  displace  a  captain  on  the 
eve  of  battle  —  he  will  probably  be  found  on  the  flag- 
ship ;  although  possibly  his  knowledge  of  the  situ- 
ation might  enable  him  to  give  better  service  on  the 
van  ship." 

All  of  which  was  very  uncertain  and  unsatisfactory. 
He  might  be  on  that  foremost  ship  swinging  so  magnifi- 
cently into  action  at  the  head  of  the  line  nearly  a  mile 
away.  He  might  be  on  that  leviathan  of  war  carrying 
the  admiral's  flag.  He  might  be  upon  any  of  the  other 
ships.  It  was  even  possible  that  when  Le  Tonnant 
found  her  antagonist  Macartney  might  be  in  command. 

A  place  had  been  made  for  the  comtesse  and  her  maid 
in  the  cable  tiers,  but  it  was  not  necessary  for  her  to  go 
there  during  the  first  part  of  the  battle.  With  her  grand- 
father, therefore,  and  Captain  Dupetit-Thouars  she  hung 
over  the  rail  and  watched  ship  after  ship  swing  into  the 
smoke  and  flame  ahead  and  open  her  batteries.  She 
saw  the  whole  marvellous  manoeuvring  of  the  English 
fleet  as  her  grandfather  pointed  it  out  to  her.  She 
alternated  in  her  feelings  between  admiration,  astonish- 
ment, apprehension,  and  terror. 

She  was  a  true  daughter  of  France.  The  King  was 
not  altogether  France  after  all.  She  found  herself 


"YOUB   MAJESTY,   I  FOUGHT   FOR   FRANCE!"      393 

torn  between  two  desires.  She  understood  something 
of  the  feelings  which  had  actuated  her  brother  Honore. 
Sometimes  she  found  herself  wishing  that  the  English 
would  be  beaten,  provided  Macartney  might  come  out 
unharmed.  Then  she  realized  what  the  defeat  of  this 
fleet  and  the  isolation  of  Bonaparte  in  Egypt  might 
mean  to  the  King.  The  scene  before  her  was  like  a 
magnificent  picture —  an  enthralling,  absorbing  presen- 
tation of  the  majesty  of  war.  And  the  setting  in  which 
the  terrific  action  took  place  was  so  softly  beautiful ! 
The  sun  sank  to  rest  in  a  blaze  of  glory  that  seemed  to 
mock  the  puny  lights  of  man,  though  those  lights  came 
from  the  flashes  of  a  thousand  cannon.  The  sky  above 
was  studded  with  brilliant  stars  as  the  darkness  drew 
on.  Presently  the  moon  rose.  The  cannonade  seemed 
to  kill  the  wind  after  a  time.  All  around  was  peace 
and  calm.  But  hell  itself  was  mocked  in  the  ships. 

The  men  of  Le  Tonnant  stood  chattering  idly  by  their 
guns  awaiting  the  approach  of  their  antagonist.  No 
shot  had  come  from  any  direction  on  that  ship.  None 
of  the  horrors  of  war  were  apparent,  only  the  glorious 
pomp  and  circumstance.  Louise  had  not  had  enough 
experience  adequately  to  imagine  the  conditions  on  the 
doomed  ships  ahead.  It  was  all  strange,  terrible,  thrill- 
ing. The  diapason  of  the  cannonade  beat  into  her 
brain  ;  the  lights,  the  flashes  of  the  guns,  the  stately 
moving  ships,  bewildered  her.  The  battle  got  hold 
of  her,  fastened  itself  upon  her.  She  wanted  to  do 
something,  strike  one  blow  for  France,  to  fight  !  And 
she  was  but  a  woman.  How  those  men  yonder  must 


394  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

feel  !  Presently  the  marquis  and  Dupetit-Thouars 
left  her  to  herself.  They  were  discussing  the  situa- 
tion. 

"  Mon  Dieu  ! "  said  the  captain,  "  if  I  were  only  in 
command  of  those  ships  ! "  waving  his  hand  aft  toward 
the  rear  division.  "  I  should  order  them  to  get  under 
way  at  once  !  See  !  The  English  are  doubling  on 
us  !  We  could  play  the  same  trick  upon  them  with 
those  unengaged  ships  !  We  could  overwhelm  those 
three  to  windward  yonder  !  I  should  get  under  way  at 
once !  " 

"  And  you  would  do  right,"  said  the  marquis. 

"  If  I  only  dared,  I  would  take  out  Le  Tonnant  with- 
out orders  ! " 

"  There  will  be  no  need.  You  at  least  may  count 
upon  an  antagonist,  but  the  battle  for  the  present  will 
stop  here,  I  think." 

"Yes,  yes.      Admiral  Brueys  expected  the  English 

• 

would  attack  his  rear  and  the  best  ships  are  aft  there." 
"A  man  like  Nelson  does  the  unexpected  always," 
said  the  old  man. 
"  Of  course." 

"Look  yonder!"  cried  the  admiral.  "IS Orient  is 
engaged  !  How  magnificent  is  the  courage  of  that  74 
to  tackle  that  great  three-decker  !  See,  she  reels  from 
the  shock  of  IS  Orient's  broadside  !  God,  she  will  sink 
alongside  !  No,  no,  she  holds  her  own  !  They  fight 
magnificently,  those  English  !  But  'tis  a  hopeless  over- 
match. Spring  your  cable,  Dupetit-Thouars  !  "  cried 
the  old  man,  suddenly,  "  your  forward  guns  can  reach 


"YOUR   MAJESTY,   I  FOUGHT   FOR   FRANCE!"      395 

the  English  ship  !  God  forgive  me  ! "  he  said,  "  I 
forgot  ! " 

Dupetit-Thouars  instantly  acted  upon  the  wise  sug- 
gestion. The  stern  of  Le  Tonnant  was  sprung  to  star- 
board, and  from  such  guns  as  bore  a  fire  at  long  range 
was  poured  upon  the  Bellerophon  busily  engaged  with 
L* Orient.  The  English  liner  could  make  no  reply. 
As  the  smoke  of  her  own  guns  blew  across  Le  Tonnanfs 
decks  the  admiral  was  reminded  of  his  granddaughter. 
He  stepped  across  to  where  she  stood  clinging  to  the 
rail  and  staring  ahead. 

"  Louise,"  he  said,  "you  must  go  below." 

"  Not  yet,  not  yet,  monsieur,"  cried  the  girl.  "  Let 
me  stay  !  There  is  no  danger  yet." 

"  See  !  "  cried  the  marquis,  pointing,  as  the  bluff  bows 
of  a  great  ship  came  looming  through  the  smoke  to 
windward  of  the  Bellerophon,  her  topsails  showing 
faintly  white  in  the  flashes  of  the  battle,  "  yonder  is  our 
foeman  !  Down  in  the  cable  tiers  at  once  with  you  I  " 

"  Let  me  stay  !  " 

"  I  cannot  !  " 

"  Grandfather  !  " 

"  Louise,  if  you  do  not  obey  me  at  once,  I  shall  have 
you  carried  below.  This  is  no  place  for  a  woman." 

Louise  turned  away.  As  she  stepped  on  the  ladder 
leading  to  the  quarter  her  eye  fell  on  the  forms  of  some 
of  the  wretched  women  of  the  ship.  They  were  acting 
as  powder-boys,  the  ship  being  somewhat  short-handed. 

"  They  stay,"  she  protested,  "  why  may  not  I  ?  " 

"You  are    different,"   said   the   marquis,  inflexibly. 


396  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Not  another  word  !  By  heaven,  they  will  open  upon 
us  in  a  moment  !  Go  !  " 

There  was  that  in  the  old  man's  appearance  which 
warned  her  that  it  would  not  be  well  for  her  to  hesitate 
longer,  so  she  reluctantly  descended  the  ladder,  past 
the  men  sweating  at  the  guns  in  the  heat  of  the  summer 
night  as  they  trained  them  on  the  approaching  English 
ship  ;  down  through  the  narrow  confines  of  the  main 
deck,  a  hurly-burly  of  shouting,  swearing  figures  toiling 
at  the  training  tackles  in  the  dim  light  from  the  long 
rows  of  flickering  lanterns  ;  down  far  below  the  water- 
line  into  the  recess  where  the  mighty  cables  lay,  the 
safest  place  on  the  ship,  which  had  been  provided  for 
her  and  Aurore. 

Scarcely  had  she  reached  it  when  Le  Tonnant  shook 
from  truck  to  keelson  with  the  roar  of  her  first  broad- 
side, which  had  been  poured  upon  the  Majestic.  An 
instant  later  a  more  muffled  detonation,  followed  by  the 
crashing  of  timber  and  the  shrieks  of  men,  told  of  the 
return  discharge.  Thereafter  there  was  no  intermission 
in  the  dreadful  roar  of  sound. 

The  woman  sat  on  the  damp  coils  of  the  cables,  one 
hand  clasped  upon  her  breast,  as  if  she  would  fain  tear 
open  her  dress  to  relieve  the  awful  pressure  of  her 
beating  heart.  Imagination,  in  the  darkness,  added  a 
thousand  terrors  and  anxieties  to  her  soul.  What 
could  have  happened  ?  Where  was  Macartney  ? 
What  was  her  grandfather  doing?  Were  the  English 
crushing  the  ships  of  the  French  ?  The  roar  of  the 
battle  was  dying  away. 


"YOUR   MAJESTY,   I   FOUGHT  FOR   FRANCE!"      397 

Above  her  head  in  the  cockpit  she  could  hear  the 
shrieks  and  groans  and  prayers  of  the  wounded.  Blood 
trickled  down  the  open  scuttle  into  the  cable  lockers 
and  fell  upon  her  dress.  It  was  cruel,  cruel,  to  keep 
her  there  without  sending  her  word,  without  letting 
her  know  !  She  would  die  if  she  could  get  no  news ! 

The  habit  of  obedience  was  strong  upon  her,  as  it 
was  upon  all  the  demoiselles  of  France  in  that  day  and 
age,  but  at  last  her  anxieties  became  too  much  for  her. 
Other  women  were  there  above  her,  doing  something, 
playing  a  part.  She  would  not  remain  below  any 
longer !  No,  under  no  circumstances  !  She  had  been 
there  weeks,  months,  years  !  She  looked  at  her  watch 
as  she  thought  and  found  that  it  wanted  a  few  minutes 
to  ten  o'clock.  She  had  been  there  nearly  two  hours  1 
She  could  stand  it  no  longer  ! 

Bidding  the  frightened  maid  remain  where  she  was, 
Louise  rose  to  her  feet  and  ascended  the  ladder  to  the 
main  deck. 

What  a  scene  of  finished  horror  met  her  gaze  !  As 
the  ship  rolled  in  the  gentle  swell,  water  and  blood 
swashing  across  the  deck  wetted  her  feet.  Dead  men 
lay  piled  upon  the  deck  in  every  direction.  Dis- 
mounted guns  gaped  uselessly  at  the  sky  through  ports 
which  had  been  battered  into  vast  openings.  Here 
and  there  a  cannon  surrounded  by  a  group  of  half- 
naked,  powder-blackened,  blood-stained  seamen  still 
venomously  spat  its  fire  and  destruction  at  a  black,  red- 
lanced  something  seen  dimly  through  the  smoke  on  the 
other  side. 


398  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

It  was  more  open  and  less  murky  on  the  deck  above, 
but  the  same  scene  of  carnage  was  there.  Possibly, 
since  it  was  lighter  there  it  was  more  apparent  and 
therefore  more  appalling.  This,  this  was  war  !  This 
was  what  was  meant  by  that  which  had  set  her  pulses 
beating  when  she  watched  it  ignorantly  on  the  ships 
ahead  !  Her  brain  reeled  at  the  sight  and  the  thoughts 
it  brought  to  her.  She  would  have  fainted,  but  she 
constrained  herself  to  go  on. 

Presently  she  reached  the  quarter-deck.  Lifting  her 
eyes,  she  saw  a  frightful  sight.  A  huge  division-tub  was 
placed  on  the  deck.  Propped  up  in  the  loose  sand 
which  it  contained  was  the  armless  figure,  ghastly  and 
horrible,  of  a  man  !  It  was  Dupetit-Thouars  !  He  was 
stone  dead  !  She  learned  afterwards  that  he  had  lost 
first  one  arm,  then  the  other,  and  finally  a  leg  ;  that  he 
had  refused  to  be  taken  below  ;  and  that  he  had  or- 
dered his  men  to  bring  up  the  tub  filled  with  sand,  to 
thrust  him  in  there  so  that  he  might  direct  the  battle  so 
long  as  he  lived.  He  had  died  in  that  position.  There 
by  his  side  stood  an  old  man,  his  head  thrown  back,  his 
eyes  shining,  his  voice  high  and  shrill  with  excitement. 
It  was  her  grandfather  directing  the  battle ! 

"  Give  it  to  them,  men  !  "  he  shouted,  and  there  was 
so  much  power  in  his  appeal  that  it  was  distinctly 
heard  over  all  noise  of  battle.  "  We  have  them  beaten  I 
Once  more  for  France  !  Another  broadside  !  Fire, 
fire  !  Steady  !  The  last  shot  may  tell  the  tale  ! 
Strike,  strike  for  France  !  " 

The  men  manning  the  quarter-deck  guns,  crazed  with 


"YOUR   MAJESTY,   I  FOUGHT   FOR   FRANCE!"      399 

the  mad  lust  of  battle  in  their  veins,  screamed  franti- 
cally as  they  looked  at  that  white,  thin,  slender,  old 
figure,  sword  in  hand,  by  the  side  of  their  dead  captain. 
It  was  the  marquis  fighting  the  ship  ;  and  magnifi- 
cently, desperately,  did  he  fight  her  !  Not  a  mast  was 
left  standing.  A  few  feet  above  the  deck  the  jagged 
ends  of  the  foremast  projected.  The  mainmast  had 
been  cut  beneath  the  hounds.  The  mizzenrnast  had 
been  carried  away  clean.  The  wreck  had  fallen  in  a 
confused,  terrible  mass  to  larboard.  Its  weight  had 
dragged  down  the  larboard  side  and  lifted  the  star- 
board side  of  Le  Tonnant  so  that  her  bilge  was  presented 
to  the  enemy.  There  was  no  time  to  cut  the  wreck 
away.  There  were  no  hands  to  spare  from  the  guns. 
One-half  her  crew  had  been  struck  down  and  most  of 
them  killed. 

In  the  pile  of  dead  Louise  marked  here  and  there  a 
woman's  dress  ;  from  one  feminine  head  a  mass  of  fair 
hair  rippled  in  the  blood  on  the  deck.  Alas,  poor 
women  of  pleasure,  they  had  bought  freedom  from  a 
life  of  sin  and  shame  with  death,  paid  a  heavy  price  for 
release  —  perhaps  a  merciful  God  might  consider  it  a 
ransom  ! 

The  girl  dragged  herself  up  the  ladder  and  went  to 
the  side  of  her  grandfather  and  touched  him  on  the 
shoulder. 

"  Louise  !  "  he  cried,  having  forgot  everything  in  the 
mad  lust  of  battle  in  which  the  excitement  of  the  con- 
test possessed  him,  "we  have  beaten  them  !  Look 
yonder !  " 


400  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  Are  you  hurt,  sir  ?  "  asked  the  woman. 

"  Hurt  ?  No  !  I  tell  you  we  have  won  I  She  is 
silent !  Going  out  of  action  !  Look  !  Dismasted  ! 
Sinking !  Hark  !  Those  are  our  guns  !  We  still 
reply  !  For  France,  for  France,  men  !  Strike  on  I  " 

Back  of  his  master,  musket  in  hand,  knelt  the  figure 
of  Breboeuf.  Slowly  and  deliberately,  as  if  he  were 
potting  chickens,  he  was  aiming  at  figures  seen  dimly 
in  the  moonlight  and  in  the  flash  of  the  guns  upon  the 
English  ship.  She,  too,  was  dismasted  and  helpless,  but 
the  brave  Westcott  had  fought  the  Majestic  superbly. 

The  relative  strength  of  a  French  80  and  an  Eng- 
lish 74  was  about  as  ten  to  seven,  and  the  most  that 
could  be  said  for  the  achievement  of  Le  Tonnant,  in 
spite  of  the  old  man's  exultation,  was  that  the  battle 
was  drawn.  The  English  were  not  completely  silent, 
either,  for  a  sullen  gun  from  time  to  time  poured  its  fire 
into  the  French  ship.  From  her  quarters,  too,  a  sputter- 
ing musketry  fire  was  kept  up.  It  is  probable  that  the 
English  ship  might  have  done  more  had  not  Westcott 
fallen  dead  upon  his  own  deck,  shot  by  that  marksman 
of  marksmen,  Breboeuf. 

In  the  excitement  of  their  own  fierce  battle  no  one 
had  paid  any  attention  to  I?  Orient,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  awful  crash  of  her  explosion  that  the  marquis  called 
his  men  from  the  guns  to  extinguish  the  rain  of  fire- 
brands that  were  hurled  upon  the  ship.  For  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes  the  crew  were  furiously  busy  averting 
this  danger  and  putting  out  ensuing  fires,  but  so  soon 
as  it  was  over  the  battle  was  recommenced.  Some  of 


"YOUR   MAJESTY,   I   FOUGHT   FOR   FRANCE!"      401 

the  men  in  each  ship  had  taken  advantage  of  the  res- 
pite to  clear  away  some  of  the  guns  encumbered  by 
the  wreckage,  and  the  fight  began  with  renewed  fury. 
The  marquis  literally  forgot  his  granddaughter  as  he 
continued  to  direct  the  men  of  Le  Tonnant.  Her  first 
lieutenant  had  been  killed  and  her  second  wounded,  so 
there  was  no  one  to  dispute  the  command  with  him  had 
any  one  been  so  inclined. 

Louise  watched  him,  fascinated,  dividing  her  atten- 
tion between  him  and  the  rest  of  the  warring  fleets. 
She  was  still  wondering  where  Macartney  was.  The 
anxieties,  half  formed  and  indefinite,  which  had  been  in 
her  heart  when  the  battle  began  had  cleared  and  were 
definite  and  coherent,  caused  by  the  horror  of  the  ship 
at  her  feet.  She  was  filled  with  terror  for  the  man  she 
loved. 

The  fire  of  the  Majestic  and  that  of  Le  Tonnant  be- 
came slower  and  slower.  There  was  not  a  gun  that 
could  bear  on  either  ship  after  a  time.  The  two  ships 
had  been  engaged  at  half  pistol-shot  distance  for  nearly 
three  hours.  They  were  both  beaten  to  a  standstill. 
The  men  unhurt  on  Le  Tonnant  were  so  exhausted 
that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  they  could  keep  from 
falling  prostrate  by  the  guns  among  the  dead.  It  was 
only  the  voice  and  example  of  the  indomitable  old 
marquis  that  kept  them  up.  Finally,  at  eleven  o'clock, 
that  voice  was  suddenly  stopped.  A  well-aimed  musket 
shot  from  the  English  ship  struck  the  old  man  full  in 
the  breast.  He  pitched  downward  by  the  side  of  the 
dead  body  of  Dupetit-Thouars  in  his  bran  tub.  Louise 


402  THE   TWO  CAPTAINS 

ran  to  him  and  gathered  his  head  in  her  arms. 
Brebceuf  threw  down  his  musket  and  leaped  to  her 
assistance. 

"  Go,  go  !  "  cried  the  girl.     "  To  the  surgeons —  " 

"  Stay  !  "  feebly  murmured  the  marquis,  "  'tis  use- 
less. No  surgeon  can  do  for  me  now." 

"  Let  him  be  taken  below,"  said  Bauduy,  the  third 
lieutenant,  now  the  ranking  officer  of  the  ship,  who 
had  been  apprised  of  the  catastrophe  by  one  of  the 
men. 

"  No,  no,"  said  the  old  man,  "  an  admiral  of  France 
dies  best  on  the  quarter-deck  of  his  ship." 

"  Is  there  nothing  to  be  done  ?  "  entreated  Louise. 

"  Nothing,"  said  the  marquis,  feebly,  "  I  have  fought 
my  —  last  —  battle.  Do  I  grow  deaf  —  as  I  die  —  or  is 
—  is  —  " 

"  The  fire  has  stopped,"  answered  Bauduy. 

"  And  the  English  ship  ?  " 

"  Drifted  away  from  us." 

"  We  have  beaten  her,  then  ?  " 

"I  think  so." 

"  How  goes  the  battle  ?  " 

"But  badly,  I  fear." 

There  was  a  wild  cry  from  the  men  forward.  Bauduy 
sprang  to  the  break  of  the  quarter-deck  and  peered 
ahead.  A  man  came  running  aft. 

"There  are  two  other  English  ships  bearing  down 
upon  us  !  "  he  cried. 

"  Where  ?  "  said  Bauduy. 

"  There  they  come  !     We  cannot  meet  them  !  " 


"YOUR   MAJESTY,    I   FOUGHT   FOR   FRANCE \"      403 

"Don't  strike  —  your  flag  !  "  said  the  vice-admiral. 

"  Never  !  "  answered  Bauduy.  "  Cut  the  cable  !  "  he 
shouted,  "  we'll  drift  away  !  " 

In  the  darkness  Le  Tonnant  swung  down  past  the  rest 
of  the  line,  past  UKeureux  and  Le  Mercure,  which,  fortu- 
nately for  Le  Tonnant,  took  the  brunt  of  the  fire  of  the 
approaching  ships,  with  which  they  were  soon  hotly 
engaged. 

"  What  does  Villeneuve  ?  "  asked  the  marquis,  faintly. 

"Nothing." 

"  Curses  on  him  !  "  cried  the  old  man.  "  He  might 
have  saved  —  the  day  —  for  France." 

There  was  nothing  that  could  be  done  for  the  mar- 
quis. Even  Louise  could  see  that.  With  anguish  in 
her  heart  she  made  him  as  comfortable  as  possible.  A 
rolled-up  flag  pillowed  his  head.  She  knelt  by  his  side 
and  laved  his  brow.  He  did  not  suffer  much.  The 
shock  of  the  ball  in  his  breast  at  close  range  had  been 
terrific.  He  lay  perfectly  still,  but  his  mind  was  as 
active  as  ever.  From  time  to  time  he  asked  the  girl 
how  the  battle  went.  She  would  have  given  worlds  to 
have  encouraged  him  with  the  news  of  a  victory,  but  it 
was  evident  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  that  all  was 
over.  Le  Mercure  and  LHeureux  had  been  driven 
ashore.  The  three  ships  not  yet  engaged,  Le  G-uillaume 
Tell,  Le  Gr£n€reux,  and  Le  TimoUon,  had  cut  their  cables 
and  sought  shelter  with  two  frigates  in  the  extreme 
southern  end  of  the  bay.  Every  other  ship  in  the 
French  fleet  except  Le  Tonnant  had  been  taken  posses- 
sion of  or  destroyed  by  the  English.  A  silence  broken 


404  THE   TWO   CAPTAINS 

only  by  the  groans  and  cries  of  the  wounded  on  the 
ships  fell  over  that  Homeric  scene  of  battle. 

"  My  child,"  faltered  the  old  marquis,  "  I  die  as 
becomes  a  sailor  —  in  action.  God  forgive  me  if  —  at 
the  last  moment  —  I  fought  against  my  King  !  I  — 
I  —  forgot.  Those  English  —  I  fought  them  for  — 
sixty  years.  Brave  Dupetit-Thouars  was  dead  —  I 
took  com  —  mand  —  against  the  King  !  May  God  for- 
give me  I  " 

"  He  will  understand,  grandfather,"  sobbed  Louise. 
"I  understand." 

"  "Pis  a  brave  death  to  die  —  on  the  winning  ship  — 
yet  —  I  would  it  had  been — under  the  old  flag. 
Brebcmif  I " 

The  old  man  crept  wearily  toward  the  marquis  and 
kissed  his  hand. 

"  Faithful  Breboeuf  !  We  owe  you  much  —  You 
will  take  care  of  the  young  comtesse  ?  You  will  serve 
her  as  you  did  her  mother  —  as  you  served  me  ?  " 

"  So  help  me  God  !  "  gasped  the  old  servant. 

"  And  Honore  ?  He  —  too  —  fought  against  —  the 
King.  There  is  left  only  you  —  Louise.  You  will  be 
faithful  —  my  child  ?  You  will  tell  —  his  Majesty  how 
—  it  was?" 

"Yes,  yes,"  said  the  girl.  "I  will  tell  him  every- 
thing." 

"  A  Republic  !  "  murmured  the  marquis.  "  Who 
would  have  believed  it  possible  ?  Perhaps  —  they  were 
right.  I  was  too  old  to  learn  —  You  will  be  faithful, 
Louise  ?  " 


"  YOUR   MAJESTY,   I   FOUGHT   FOE   FBANCB  !  "      405 

"Yes." 

"  What  will  become  of  you  ?  "  said  the  old  man,  ten- 
derly. "  If  only  that  Englishman  —  you  love  him  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Louise,  gravely. 

"  That  is  right.  Death  in  the  old  heart  —  love  in 
the  young.  Poor  girl !  Pray  God  he  has  escaped  — 
this  battle  ! " 

"  There's  a  boat  alongside  with  a  white  flag,  Lieuten- 
ant Bauduy,"  said  one  of  the  seamen,  coming  forward 
at  the  moment,  "an  officer  who  says  he  comes  from 
Admiral  Nelson." 

"  Let  him  come  aboard,"  answered  Bauduy,  stepping 
forward  to  meet  him. 

"Monsieur,"  cried  a  voice  out  of  the  darkness 
as  the  English  officer  stepped  through  the  gangway, 
"Admiral  Nelson  wishes  to  know  if  your  ship  has 
struck?" 

"  She  has  not,  sir  !  " 

"  Do  you  intend  to  give  her  up  ?  " 

"  Why,  as  to  that  —  "  hesitated  the  young  officer. 

"  Sir,"  said  Macartney,  not  waiting  for  his  answer, 
"are  Vice-admiral  de  Vaudemont  and  his  grand- 
daughter on  board  of  you  by  any  chance?" 

"They  are,  sir." 

"  Where  are  they  ?    Are  they  —  " 

"They  are  yonder." 

"  May  I  go  to  them  ?  I  am  Captain  Macartney,  your 
former  prisoner.  You  remember  ?  " 

"You  may  go." 

In  an  instant  Macartney  made  his  way  to  the  little 


406  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

group  on  the  quarter-deck.  With  a  low  cry  of  joy 
Louise  recognized  him. 

" You  here ?"  she  said.  "Alive!  Unharmed!  Thank 
God !  " 

"  Who  is  that  ?  "  asked  the  marquis,  faintly. 

"  Captain  Macartney,"  whispered  the  girl. 

"  Why  came  he  here  ?  For  what  purpose  ?  Have 
we  struck  ?  " 

"  I  came  to  seek  you,  to  seek  your  granddaughter," 
said  Macartney,  kneeling  by  his  side.  "  Are  you  hurt, 
sir  ?  Is  it  serious  ?  " 

"  I  have  fought  my  last  battle,  lad.  Ask  yon  Eng- 
lish ship  —  if  it  were  a  good  one." 

"'Twas  a  terrible  one,  monsieur,  but  it  has  killed 
you." 

"  'Tis  nothing.  I  wish  to  go.  I  have  outlived  my 
age.  I  am  glad  you  are  come,  monsieur.  You  love 
my  granddaughter  —  I  had  other  views  for  her  —  but 
the  love  of  an  honest  sailor  is  good  —  You  will  guard 
over  her  —  watch  over  her  —  be  tender  with  her  ?  " 

"  With  my  life  !  "  answered  Macartney. 

"  I  believe  you  —  God  bless  you  both  —  You  will  be 
married  at  once  —  You  must  find  a  priest  of  the  old 
religion.  Breboeuf —  Louise  — "  he  cried  suddenly,  his 
voice  growing  astonishingly  strong.  "  Lift  me  up  ! " 
he  said. 

It  was  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  dawn 
already  laced  the  east  with  its  pale  grayness.  The 
light  of  breaking  day  fell  upon  the  face  of  the  old  man. 
He  stared  across  the  decks  and  out  to  sea  as  if  he  were 


"YOUR   MAJESTY,   I   FOUGHT   FOR   FRANCE!"      407 

gazing  upon  a  vision.  To  his  unresponsive  ear  at  that 
moment  came  the  roar  of  the  guns  of  some  far  ship 
reopening  battle. 

"  They  fight  still,"  he  murmured,  "  we  are  not  beaten  ! 
Lift  me  —  up — the  flag  !  " 

He  stopped  again.  They  gathered  around  him  awe- 
struck and  silent. 

"  Grandfather,"  said  the  girl,  "  speak  to  me  ! " 

But  he  was  speaking  to  some  one  not  of  this  earth. 

"  De  Suffren,"  he  said,  "  the  English  are  there  ! 
Strike  hard!" 

The  blood  gushed  from  h^s  lips,  his  head  sank  for- 
ward on  his  breast.  By  a  supreme  effort  he  raised  it 
again. 

"  Your  Majesty,"  he  said,  struggling  until  he  disen- 
gaged his  hand  from  Brebceuf .  Lifting  his  arm  high 
in  the  growing  light,  he  cried :  — 

"  Your  Majesty,  I  fought  for  —  France  ! " 

With  a  low  cry  Breboeuf  laid  the  old  man  gently  back 
upon  the  deck  he  had  immortalized  by  his  valor.  The 
woman  buried  her  head  in  her  arms  and  Macartney 
before  all  lifted  her  tenderly  and  clasped  her  to  his 
breast  in  his  strong  and  tender  arms. 

There  was  silence  for  a  little  space,  when  an  inter- 
ruption came.  The  survivors  among  the  crew  had 
gathered  aft  staring  at  the  Irishman.  In  the  dawning 
light  some  of  them  recognized  him.  They  were  over- 
wrought with  the  strain  of  battle.  They  remembered 
the  story  of  Garron's  treachery,  and  it  flashed  into  their 
minds  that  this  man  was  perhaps  responsible  for  their 


408  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

disaster.  He  had  told  Nelson  where  they  were.  He 
had  brought  destruction  upon  them.  Growling  and 
muttering  ran  through  the  group  of  men.  Their  higher 
officers  were  gone,  with  many  of  lower  rank.  There 
was  no  one  to  control  them. 

Macartney  instantly  realized  that  something  was  about 
to  happen.  He  had  that  peculiar  feeling  for  danger 
which  is  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  a  great  captain.  He 
was  unarmed  save  for  his  sword.  His  boat's  crew  were 
at  the  gangway  alongside.  He  would  summon  them. 
Putting  Louise  behind  him,  he  stepped  forward,  only  to 
be  met  by  a  rush  of  men  toward  him.  They  clustered 
around  him  with  such  arms  as  they  could  seize,  threat- 
ening and  menacing. 

"  You're  the  cause  of  it  !  "  cried  one  burly  boat- 
swain's mate.  "  You  brought  the  English  upon  us 
with  that  cursed  carrion,  Garron  !  Kill  him,  kill  him, 
men  I " 

"  On  deck,  you  Vanguards  !  "  shouted  Macartney 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  seeing  how  serious  was  the 
state  of  affairs.  At  the  same  time  he  whipped  out  his 
sword  and  made  a  lunge  at  the  nearest  man.  The 
lunge  was  partially  parried,  and  the  man  gave  back, 
but  at  least  the  point  of  the  weapon  touched  him. 
With  a  howl  of  rage  he  lifted  his  own  cutlass  and 
sprang  forward. 

"  Ahoy,  Vanguarders  !  Bear  a  hand,  for  God's 
sake !  "  cried  Macartney. 

Unless  some  diversion  were  made,  it  would  be  too 
late.  As  he  called,  Louise,  frantic  with  terror,  threw 


"YOUR   MAJESTY,    I   FOUGHT   FOR   FRANCE!"      409 

herself  upon  his  breast.  Seeking  to  do  him  service, 
she  embarrassed  him.  He  drew  her  aside  with  his 
left  arm,  and  with  his  right  held  off  the  mob.  But  it 
would  have  gone  hard  with  him  had  it  not  been  for 
Brebceuf .  He,  too,  sprang  forward,  and  as  the  French- 
men came  rushing  at  the  Irishman  he  threw  himself 
with  outstretched  arms  upon  the  sword  points,  gather- 
ing them  like  von  Winkelried  into  his  mighty  breast. 

Such  was  the  impetus  of  the  Breton's  leap  that  he 
fairly  carried  all  before  him.  The  men  fell  back  in  a 
confused  heap  cursing  and  swearing.  Before  they 
could  recover  themselves  the  heavily  armed  crew  of 
the  cutter  had  reached  the  deck,  and  leaping  upon  the 
backs  of  the  mob  silenced  them.  They  made  short 
work  in  getting  to  the  side  of  their  officer.  They 
were  few  in  number  compared  to  the  French,  and  it 
might  have  resulted  seriously  had  not  the  Theseus 
and  the  Audacious  at  that  moment  dropped  down,  one 
athwart  the  hawse,  the  other  ranging  alongside  the 
Tonnant,  demanding  her  surrender. 

There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  obey.  The  French 
sailors  were  held  in  check  by  the  Vanguard's  men 
until  a  prize  crew  from  the  Theseus  had  come  aboard 
and  secured  them. 

Louise  and  Macartney  had  instantly  turned  their 
attention  to  Brebo3uf.  He  had  been  pierced  by  a 
dozen  blades.  So  soon  as  he  fell  he  had  endeavored 
to  drag  himself  toward  the  marquis.  Macartney  stared 
at  him,  not  understanding  his  meaning.  The  woman 
was  quicker. 


410  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

"  He  wants  to  lie  there,"  she  said. 

With  his  own  hands,  assisted  by  some  of  his  seamen, 
Macartney  lifted  the  gigantic  Breton  and  laid  him 
at  the  feet  of  the  marquis.  The  old  sailor  said 
nothing.  Perhaps  he  had  not  the  power,  perhaps  he 
had.  He  only  took  the  hand  of  Louise  in  one  of  his 
great  paws,  lifted  it  to  his  lips,  touched  it  tenderly, 
laid  it  down,  stretched  out  his  right  hand,  laid  it  upon 
the  feet  of  the  marquis,  smiled  at  them,  and  closed  his 
eyes. 

Brebo3uf  was  a  silent  man,  and  he  died  as  he  had 
lived,  with  no  unnecessary  words. 


L'ENVOI 

THEY  buried  the  marquis  wrapped  in  the  ancient 
lilied  flag  of  royal  France  from  the  deck  of  the  bat- 
tered Tonnant,  Nelson  rising  from  his  sick  bed  to  do 
honor  to  the  gallant  sailor  and  gentleman.  And  as  the 
body  slipped  into  the  waters  of  the  bay,  the  shattered 
ships  of  the  English  fleet  with  half-masted  flags  thun- 
dered out  a  vice-admiral's  salute.  Following  him  on 
his  last  journey  were  launched  the  remains  of  the  faith- 
ful Breboeuf. 

In  the  cabin  of  the  Vanguard,  a  few  days  after,  Louise 
and  Macartney  were  married,  Admiral  Nelson  himself 
giving  away  the  bride.  They  had  found  a  prisoner  on 
one  of  the  French  vessels,  a  faithful  priest,  whom  one 
of  the  captains  of  the  French  liners  had  brought  with 
him,  for  he  was  a  man  who  had  stopped  following  the 
precepts  of  the  Republic  when  it  abolished  God.  As 
Louise  and  Macartney  were  both  of  the  Roman  Church 
there  was  no  obstacle  to  their  marriage. 

Nelson  ordered  Macartney  to  La  Mutine  with  de- 
spatches for  England,  his  own  gallantry  being  especially 
mentioned  in  them.  With  him  Sir  Robert  took  his  wife 
and  the  faithful  Aurore.  The  Leander,  carrying  Cap- 
tain Berry  with  duplicate  despatches,  had  preceded 

411 


412  THE  TWO   CAPTAINS 

La,  Mutine,  but  had  been  captured  by  Le  G-Snereux,  one 
of  the  two  ships-of-the-line  which  under  Admiral  Ville- 
neuve  had  escaped  from  the  disaster  at  Aboukir. 

Of  thirteen  ships-of-the-line  and  four  frigates  the 
French  had  lost  eleven  capital  ships  and  two  frigates. 
It  is  believed  that  none  of  the  four  ships  that  eacaped 
would  have  got  away  had  Nelson  not  been  wounded 
and  thus  unfitted  for  direction.  They  were  captured 
later,  anyway,  and  none  of  them  ever  got  back  to 
France. 

Nelson,  although  he  blamed  no  one,  was  greatly  dis- 
appointed at  even  the  temporary  escape  of  Villeneuve's 
two  ships.  As  he  had  said  years  before,  commenting  on 
the  satisfaction  of  an  old  fashioned  and  unambitious 
commander  (Hotham)  who  had  not  made  the  most  of 
a  victory  although  he  congratulated  himself  upon  hav- 
ing done  very  well  as  it  was,  "  Even  had  ten  ships  been 
taken  and  the  eleventh  escaped,  we  being  able  to  get  at 
her,  I  should  never  consider  it  well  done  !  " 

Many  men  know  how  to  win  battles,  it  has  been 
pithily  observed  ;  few  know  how  to  use  victories. 
Nelson  could  do  both. 

Of  the  eleven  French  liners,  five  were  burned,  namely, 
the  ill-fated  IS  Orient,  Le  TimolSon,  LHeureux,  Le 
Mercure,  and  the  unhappy  Le  Gruerrier;  of  the  two 
frigates,  one  was  sunk  and  one  burned.  The  remain- 
ing six  ships-of-the-line  were  patched  up  and  taken  to 
Gibraltar  and  England. 

The  number  killed,  wounded,  and  missing  on  the 
French  fleet  was  never  accurately  determined.  Esti- 


L'ENVOI  413 

mates  range  from  thirty-five  hundred  to  five  thousand. 
On  the  ships  engaged,  all  the  French  admirals  and  cap- 
tains but  one  captain  were  killed  or  wounded.  Nor 
did  the  English  come  off  scathless.  The  Gf-oliath,  the 
Orion,  the  Vanguard,  the  Minotaur,  and  above  all  the 
Bellerophon  and  the  Majestic,  were  terribly  cut  up, 
losing  many  spars ;  the  last  two  were  completely  dis- 
masted, and  nearly  two  hundred  men  were  killed  or 
wounded  on  each  ship.  The  total  English  loss  in  men 
was  eight  hundred  and  ninety-five  —  not  a  great  price 
to  pay  for  the  most  complete  victory  in  the  most  mag- 
nificent battle  ever  fought  on  the  sea  ! 

On  receipt  of  this  glorious  news  which  Macartney 
delivered  to  the  King  on  the  2d  of  October,  he  was 
advanced  to  the  peerage  under  the  title  of  Lord  Ma- 
cartney by  his  grateful  monarch.  Nelson  was  made 
Baron  Nelson  of  Burnham-Thorpe  and  the  Nile,  with  a 
pension  of  ten  thousand  pounds,  a  very  inadequate  re- 
ward for  his  consummate  strategy,  brilliant  tactics,  and 
magnificent  fighting. 

The  French  dream  of  an  Empire  in  the  East  was 
shattered  to  pieces  by  the  thunder  of  the  English  guns. 
Three  weeks  later  a  courier  toiled  up  to  the  head- 
quarters of  Bonaparte,  then  on  an  expedition  to  the 
southward,  and  told  him  the  crushing,  the  fatal  news. 

"This  will  oblige  us  to  do  greater  things  than  we 
intended,"  he  said  to  Kleber,  preserving  his  composure 
and  his  courage  in  spite  of  the  death-blow  to  his  hopes. 
"  We  must  die  in  this  country  or  get  out  of  it  as  great 
as  the  ancients  !  " 


A  LITTLE  TRAITOR  TO  THE  SOUTH 

A  War-time  Comedy  <wifh  a.  Tragic  Interlude 
By  CYRUS  TOWNSEND  BRADY 

With  Illustrations  in  Color  by  A.  D.  RAHN,  and  Decorations 
by  C.  E.  HOOPER 

Cloth      lamo      $1.50 


"A  charming  story  of  war-time  in  Charleston  that  Mr. 
Brady  has  given  us,  one  in  which  is  breathed  the  atmosphere 
of  the  quaint  old  town,  and  from  which  is  gleaned  an  excel- 
lent conception  of  the  spirit  of  her  people.  The  chief 
incident  of  the  story  is  a  historic  fact,  which  Mr.  Brady 
relates  with  dramatic  effect,  and  the  romance  cleverly  inter- 
woven is  as  sweet  as  such  a  teller  of  love  stories  knows  how 
to  make  them."  —  Augusta  Herald. 


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THE  SEA-WOLF 

By  JACK  LONDON 

Author  of  "  The  Call  of  the  Wild,"  "  The  Faith 
of  Men,"  etc. 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  W.  J.  AYLWARD 
Cloth         i2mo        $1.50 


" (  The  Sea- Wolf,'  Jack  London's  latest  novel  of  adventure,  is  one 
chat  every  reader  with  good  red  blood  in  his  veins  will  hail  with 
delight.  There  is  no  fumbling  of  the  trigger  here,  no  nervous  and 
uncertain  sighting  along  the  barrel,  but  the  quick  decisive  aim  and 
the  bull's-eye  every  time."  —  Mail  and  Express,  New  York. 

"Jack  London's  'The  Sea- Wolf  is  marvellously  truthful.  .  .  . 
Reading  it  through  at  a  sitting,  we  have  found  it  poignantly  interest- 
ing ...  a  superb  piece  of  craftsmanship." 

—  The  New  York  Tribunt. 

"  Exciting,  original,  fascinating.  .  .  .  Novel  and  pleasing.  .  .  . 
So  original,  vivid,  and  daring  that  it  commands  attention." 

—  Chicago  Record-Herald, 

"  A  stirring,  unhackneyed  tale  ...  its  characters  are  wonderfully 
real  and  living.  .  .  .  There  is  plenty  of  blood  in  'The  Sea- Wolf,' 
and  the  color  of  it  is  red." — The  New  York  Times. 

"Other  fiction  seems  decidedly  losing  in  savor  and  piquancy. 
This  story  surely  has  the  pure  Stevensonian  ring,  the  adventurous 
glamour,  the  vertebrate  stoicism."  —  Critic. 


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66  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK 


